Achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is a major goal in AI research, but no single agreed-upon method exists. AGI is a type of AI that matches or surpasses human capabilities across a wide range of cognitive tasks. It contrasts narrow AI, which is designed for specific tasks.
Creating AGI is a primary goal of AI research and of companies such as OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic. Experts are exploring various avenues, including more robust (powerful) algorithms, neuroscience inspiration, better data learning, or Explainable AI.
Achieving AGI is an ongoing effort with many unknowns:
It likely won't be a single breakthrough but rather a combination of advancements in different areas.
The definition of "intelligence" itself is still debated. What makes a human intelligent might not be the same for an AI.
The focus may shift from replicating human intelligence to achieving human-like results through different means.
The development of AGI is an ongoing journey, and these tests will likely continue to evolve alongside our understanding of intelligence, both human and artificial. Here are some of the common proposed tests, each with its strengths and weaknesses:
Turing Test (1950): A human judge converses with a human and a machine disguised as a human through text only. If the judge can't reliably tell the difference, the machine passes.
Strengths: Easy to implement, focuses on human-like communication.
Weaknesses: Doesn't assess true intelligence, can be fooled by deception.
Robot College Student Test: A machine enrolls in a university, attends classes, and passes exams just like a human student.
Strengths: Measures broad learning and problem-solving abilities.
Weaknesses: Logistically challenging, may not require true understanding.
Employment Test: An AI performs a job requiring human-level intelligence and achieves similar results to a human for an extended period.
Strengths: Practical test of real-world capabilities.
Weaknesses: Depends on the specific job, doesn't assess generalizability.
Ikea Test (or Flatpack Furniture Test): An AI dismantles and reassembles flatpack furniture following instructions and using a robot body.
Strengths: Measures physical reasoning and ability to follow complex instructions in an unfamiliar environment.
Weaknesses: Limited scope, may not translate to other tasks.
Coffee Test: An AI enters an unfamiliar kitchen and makes a cup of coffee using only the available tools and ingredients.
Strengths: Requires common sense reasoning, planning, and adaptation in a physical world setting.
Weaknesses: Somewhat specific, may not generalize well.
AI Sapiens, referring to AI achieving a human-like level of intelligence, is not a current reality. While AI excels in specific areas, it lacks general intelligence.
Humans can learn, adapt, and reason in vastly different situations, something AI currently struggles with. Plus, the concept of consciousness, subjective experience, is still not fully understood in humans. Replicating it in AI is far off.
Advancements in AGI aim to create machines with human-like intelligence. However, it's still a theoretical field. Here's a different way to look at it: AI Sapiens might not be the future. Collaboration between human and machine intelligence, where AI complements human strengths, is a more likely scenario.
What do you think? “AI sapiens”: how do we achieve general intelligence?
I can tell. When I was in Japan last October, a robot prepared me a coffee. The experience was "nice," but actually thinking about it, it was "scary" as we evolved towards automation, lacking ethics and emotions. How do we managed this, dear Gillian, how?
Currently struggles and not sure that I want to have coffee made by AGI bots without human intervention.
I can tell. When I was in Japan last October, a robot prepared me a coffee. The experience was "nice," but actually thinking about it, it was "scary" as we evolved towards automation, lacking ethics and emotions. How do we managed this, dear Gillian, how?