Imagine an AI that doesn’t just answer questions like ChatGPT, but can make your morning coffee, do the dishes and care for your elderly parent while you’re at work.
It’s the future first envisioned by The Jetsons in 1962, and thanks to developments in AI, it finally seems feasible within the next decade.
But the implications extend far beyond an in-home Jarvis. That’s why tech titans like Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg want to take AI to this next level. Last month, he told The Verge his new goal is to build artificial general intelligence, or AGI. That puts him in the same league as ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and Google’s DeepMind.
While Zuckerberg wants AGI to build into products to further connect with users, OpenAI and DeepMind have talked about the potential of AGI to benefit humanity. Regardless of their motivations, it’s a big leap from the current state of AI, which is dominated by generative AI and chatbots. The latter have so far dazzled us with their writing skills, creative chops and seemingly endless answers (even if their responses aren’t always accurate).
There is no standard definition for AGI, which leaves a lot open to interpretation and opinion. But it is safe to say AGI is closer to human-like intelligence and encompasses a greater range of skills than most existing AIs. And it will have a profound impact on us.
But it has a long way to go before it fully emulates the human brain -– not to mention the ability to make its own decisions. And so the current state of AGI could best be described as the Schrodinger’s cat of AI: It simultaneously is and is not human-like.
If you’re wondering what all the fuss is about with AGI, this explainer is for you. Here’s what you need to know.
What is artificial intelligence?
Let’s start with a term we’ve heard a lot in the last year: artificial intelligence. It’s a branch of computer science that simulates aspects of human intelligence in machines.
Per Mark Riedl, professor in the Georgia Tech School of Interactive Computing…
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