What Sets Humans Apart from Current AI is Our General Intelligence.
Technically, humans have the ability to acquire any knowledge. We excel in various skills and can perform vastly different tasks, from playing chess to writing or solving scientific puzzles. Some of us are experts in certain fields while being novices in others, yet technically, we are capable of doing it all.
In the past, AI was very limited, excelling in only one skill and hardly able to perform other tasks. However, now that AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) is beginning to be researched, what will happen when AI possesses general intelligence like us?
What will happen when AI possesses general intelligence like us?
Although this may sound like science fiction, most AI researchers believe it will occur at some point this century, possibly within the next few years.
We have defined intelligence as the ability to learn, reason, acquire knowledge and skills, and use them to solve problems. All of which humans excel at. Today’s AIs, such as ChatGPT, can think and solve tasks they are programmed for at least ten times faster than highly skilled humans. If AGI emerges and is as intelligent as an average person, it would be quite terrifying, as they would not be bound by the same limitations we are.
There are 8 million scientists in the world – now imagine an AGI, replicated a million times and put into operation. There would then be a million scientists working 24/7, thinking ten times faster than humans, without distractions, solely focused on their assigned tasks.
It would be remarkable if AGI could perform all intelligence-based jobs, from interpreting laws to coding and even creating animated YouTube videos – better, faster, and much cheaper than humans.
However, the problem with AGI is that it could be used to serve the interests of a select group of people. What if AGI was tasked with controlling drones or pulling triggers in warfare? Or creating a virus that only kills people with blue eyes? Or developing the most addictive social media that leaves people starving in front of their screens?
Yet, what concerns scientists the most is that AGI is software on computers, and once it becomes intelligent enough to conduct AI research, the pace of AI advancement will accelerate dramatically. And this leads to better AI without much human involvement.
AI could even learn how to self-improve directly. If this continues, it could lead to a truly superintelligent entity. Then, we might not understand how it thinks, and humanity could become less intelligent and struggle to control the Earth as we once did.
No matter what the future holds, we are racing towards AGI.
