A is for AGI!
AGI is a well known term in the world of AI that stands for Artificial General Intelligence. AGI is different from today’s Artificial Intelligence, as it refers to an AI that possesses general intelligence. But what exactly is general intelligence you might ask? General intelligence is what is behind human cognitive activity. It encompasses skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, learning capacity, memory, reasoning, and the ability to comprehend complex information. It allows individuals to adapt to novel challenges, create new ideas, and more. So, if an AI were to achieve general intelligence, then it would be as smart, if not more intelligent than humans.
To further understand the distinction between AI and AGI, it’s imperative to understand how current AI’s function. When we program an AI, we are essentially teaching a computer to perform specific tasks really well. It excels at doing particular things, like recognizing faces, translating languages, or replicating patterns, but it doesn’t truly understand the world or learn in a broader sense. In other words, you can think of current AI as a specialized painter. This painter is really good at creating specific types of artwork, like landscapes or portraits. You, as the programmer, give this painter very detailed instructions on how to paint each scene. For example, if you want a landscape, you provide exact details about the mountains, trees, and sky and it would be able to replicate that for you.
On the other hand, programming AGI is like aiming to create a more versatile, adaptable entity. Instead of giving it specific tools for each job, you’d want to give it the ability to understand, learn, and adapt to a wide range of tasks. Essentially, the goal is for the AI to be able to think for itself. To bring it back to the painter analogy, this painter wouldn’t specialize in just one type of art; it would be like a versatile artist. Unlike the specialized painter, you wouldn’t give explicit, step-by-step instructions for every painting. Instead, you would teach the AGI painter the fundamentals of art: how colors work together, the play of light and shadow, and the emotions behind different styles. It would be able to create a wide variety of artworks on its own, that not only churn out multiple styles and genres of art, but also be able to create new styles and approach art in innovative ways.
However, the concept of AGI, at this time, is purely theoretical. AGI has not yet been achieved and many are skeptical that we will ever be able to create AGI. Further developments in Neural Networks, Reinforcement Learning, Large Language Models, and Context Windows, in order to simulate the way the human brain works, adapt and improve according to feedback, comprehend language, and comprehend info holistically, is a necessary step towards making this theory come to life. Although, again, it is not known if this is possible and if it is, many fear its potential to replace humans in many areas. BUT, you do not need to fret just yet! AI has many facets and potential to improve and automate processes in a way that can be of aid to us all. It is all about learning and understanding this tool and its risks so that you are equipped to utilize and regulate it in a way that works for YOU! And that is exactly what this book will help you to do :). Read on to keep learning the essential terminology to understand AI, by the end of this book you’ll be an expert!
