What is Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)?

• AGI refers to a machine or a software that can perform any intellectual task that a human can do. This includes reasoning, common sense, abstract thinking, background knowledge, transfer learning, ability to differentiate between cause and effect, etc.
• AGI aims to emulate human cognitive abilities such that it allows it to do unfamiliar tasks, learn from new experiences, and apply its knowledge in new ways.

Difference between AGI and AI

• The main difference between AGI and the more common form of AI(known as narrow AI), lies in their scope and capabilities.
• Narrow AI is designed to perform specific tasks such as image recognition, translation, or even playing games like chess—at which it can outdo humans, but it remains limited to its set parameters. On the other hand, AGI envisions a broader, more generalised form of intelligence, not confined to any particular task (like humans).

How old is AGI as an idea?

• • The idea of AGI first emerged in the 20th century with a paper written by Alan Turing. He is widely considered to be the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence.

• Turing Test:

• • According to this test, if a machine can engage in a conversation with a human without being detected as a machine, it has demonstrated human intelligence.
  • This test is a benchmark for machine intelligence. 
• When Turing wrote this influential paper, humans were nowhere close to developing artificial intelligence even computers were in their nascency. 

Benefits of AGI

• Healthcare: AGI can redefine diagnostics, treatment planning, and personalized medicine by integrating and analysing vast datasets which are far beyond the capabilities of humans.
• Finance and business: AGI could automate various processes and enhance the overall decision-making, offering real-time analytics and market predictions with accuracy.
• Education: AGI could transform adaptive learning systems that work towards the unique needs of students. This could potentially democratise access to personalised education worldwide.

Why is there skepticism about AGI?

Despite the promise AGI holds, it continues to fuel widespread apprehensions, due to a number of reasons.

• The large amount of computational power required to develop AGI systems raises concerns about its impact on the environment in terms of energy consumption and generation of e-waste.
• AGI could also lead to a significant loss of employment, and widespread socio-economic disparity, where power would be concentrated in the hands of those who control the AGI.
• It could introduce new security vulnerabilities that could outrun the ability of governments and international bodies to come up with suitable regulations.
• If humans were to become dependent on AGI, it might even lead to the loss of basic human skills and capabilities.
• AGI has the ability to outpace human beings  making its actions difficult to understand and predict. This might even lead to a situation where it becomes too independent, so much so that humans simply lose control. This may turn against human well-being.

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-sci-tech/artificial-general-intelligence-agi-9307895/