Tech Leaders Aim for Artificial General Intelligence, But Risks and Timeline Unclear
-
AGI (artificial general intelligence) is intelligence that can perform a wide range of tasks, closer to human intelligence than current AI like chatbots. Tech leaders want to build it.
-
Current AI excels at specific tasks, while AGI would have broader skills and more autonomy. There's no consensus on a definition.
-
Estimates for achieving AGI range from 5-10 years to not achievable. AI can now have conversations and perform some tasks in a humanlike way.
-
AGI could assist in elder care and other tasks, but likely won't make humans obsolete. More risk comes from AI concentration in big tech companies.
-
Rather than mimicking humans, AI may create net benefits for humanity by curing disease, making decisions more consistent, and augmenting human abilities.