Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence generally falls under two broad categories:

Narrow AI: Sometimes referred to as “Weak AI,” this kind of artificial intelligence operates within a limited context and is a simulation of human intelligence. Narrow AI is often focused on performing a single task extremely well and while these machines may seem intelligent, they are operating under far more constraints and limitations than even the most basic human intelligence.

• Narrow AI is all around us and is easily the most successful realization of artificial intelligence to date. With its focus on performing specific tasks, Narrow AI has experienced numerous breakthroughs in the last decade that have had “significant societal benefits and have contributed to the economic vitality of the nation

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI): AGI, sometimes referred to as “Strong AI,” is the kind of artificial intelligence we see in the movies. AGI is a machine with general intelligence and, much like a human being, it can apply that intelligence to solve any problem.

• The creation of a machine with human-level intelligence that can be applied to any tasks is the Holy Grail for many AI researchers, but the quest for AGI has been fraught with difficulty. 

The search for a universal algorithm for learning and acting in any environment is not new, but time has not eased the difficulty of essentially creating a machine with a full set of cognitive abilities. AGI has long been the muse of dystopian science fiction, in which super-intelligent robots overrun humanity, but it is not something we need to worry about anytime soon.