Key characteristics of AGI include:
While AGI remains a theoretical concept, it poses significant implications for various fields, including ethics, economics, and technology. The development of AGI could lead to profound changes in society, but also raises concerns regarding safety, control, and the future of human labor.
Artificial general intelligence (AGI) is a type of artificial intelligence (AI) that matches or surpasses human cognitive capabilities across a wide range of cognitive tasks. This contrasts with narrow AI, which is limited to specific tasks. Artificial superintelligence (ASI), on the other hand, refers to AGI that greatly exceeds human cognitive capabilities. AGI is considered one of the definitions of strong AI.
Creating AGI is a primary goal of AI research and of companies such as OpenAI and Meta. A 2020 survey identified 72 active AGI research and development projects across 37 countries.
The timeline for achieving AGI remains a subject of ongoing debate among researchers and experts. As of 2023, some argue that it may be possible in years or decades; others maintain it might take a century or longer; a minority believe it may never be achieved; and another minority claims that it is already here. Notable AI researcher Geoffrey Hinton has expressed concerns about the rapid progress towards AGI, suggesting it could be achieved sooner than many expect.
There is debate on the exact definition of AGI and regarding whether modern large language models (LLMs) such as GPT-4 are early forms of AGI. AGI is a common topic in science fiction and futures studies.
Contention exists over whether AGI represents an existential risk. Many experts on AI have stated that mitigating the risk of human extinction posed by AGI should be a global priority. Others find the development of AGI to be too remote to present such a risk.