We are not quite sure what we should be worried about in the face of artificial general intelligence, or AGI for short. The controversial topic has led to a number of hypotheses and debates, with dystopian portrayals of intelligent machines that destroy mankind often being a popular choice. On the other hand, utopian depictions of AGI often portray them as benevolent custodians of mankind – idealistic visions of a future where everyone is equally treated in an egalitarian society free of suffering. Currently, however, the reality of AGI is still uncertain, largely due to the lack of any existing artificial intelligence.
If a computer were to acquire general intelligence, it could theoretically perform any task. It would have the flexibility of human reasoning, and it would be able to perform calculations nearly instantly. The ability to learn and adapt is already possible, but AGI could perform an unimaginable amount of tasks. However, it is not clear how much of these tasks can be performed by a machine – not just a computer.
There is a lot of controversy surrounding the role of consciousness in strong AI, but many researchers consider research on consciousness as crucial to the advancement of AGI. In fact, one researcher even suggested that it would take forty years for a machine to learn to speak, despite the existence of principles underlying consciousness. Nonetheless, it is important to note that while these arguments are still debatable, they are incredibly interesting to explore.
In recent years, AI research has made huge advances in various areas. One of the most notable breakthroughs in this area is IBM’s Deep Blue, a chess machine that defeated Garri Kasparov. While Deep Blue did not mimic general intelligence, it was created for a specific purpose and is arguably one of the best examples of ANI. But the problem with AGI is that no one knows how to measure it.
AGI is an important step in the future of artificial intelligence, but there are many challenges. It is not clear how humans can ever achieve AGI. For example, AIXI is incomputable. So, the alternative formalism of AGI overcomes these problems. Its benefits include mathematical proofs of performance, simple implementation, and experimental results. AGI may even be a step in the right direction for human-level AI.
Some critics of AI argue that overestimating AI would lead to detrimental effects on science. However, Andrew McAfee and Erik Brynjolfson argue that digitization of historical documents can provide new insight into our past. They analyzed five million English books published since 1800. The results of their project indicate that English words increased over the period of 1950 to 2000. It was also discovered that English language was becoming more popular than in the past.
If we follow Kurzweil’s predictions, AGI will be a reality in 2045. As the technology improves exponentially, it will eventually become capable of performing the same calculations as the human race. This is often referred to as the “singularity.”