ANI, AGI & ASI, Oh My!

There are three main phases of Artificial Intelligence.

ANI – Artificial Narrow Intelligence

AGI – Artificial General Intelligence

ASI – Artificial Superintelligence

Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI), also known as Weak Intelligence*, is a collection of technologies that rely on algorithms and programmatic responses to simulate intelligence, generally focusing on a specific (narrow) task. ANI is limited in scope and very goal oriented. Think recommendation engines, SPAM filters, and recognition (image, speech, and language).

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), also known as Strong Intelligence or Deep Intelligence, is a (currently) hypothetical machine that can perform ALL the tasks a human can. Intended to think independently, AGI systems are built with the human brain as the archetype. Like humans, AGI makes decisions on/after analysis. It learns. It reasons. It adapts. It will be better tomorrow than it is today.**

Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI) is the hypothetical AI that surpasses human intelligence. Machines become aware and more capable than humans on every level. They’ll think and act like humans (but better), and they’ll have emotions, feelings, beliefs, needs, etc. Plus, they’ll have unlimited capacity and continually accessed/accessible memory.

ANI is the baby, infant, toddler, tween, and teenage years all wrapped in one.

AGI is the adult years.

ASI is the “Beyond” years, meaning there is no human equivalent.

Many experts believe that we’re in the last stage of ANI, which loosely translates to they think that humans and computers have roughly equal intelligence now. It’s also believed that the ANI phase is/will be the most prolonged phase (read: it’s taken forever to get here) and that ASI will be here before we know it.

*It’s important to note that the majority of the tried-and-true AI OGs don’t believe ANI is a form of intelligence because it’s all too often “merely a human simulator with an extremely defined set of rules, contexts, parameters, and the like.” Like the definition of “artificial intelligence,” this rabbit hole of a discussion provides interesting (yet exhausting) debate. However, it’s more navel pontification than anything.

**Many folks who believe AGI will be indistinguishable from human behavior also think AGI will be superior to humans in every way. So better, faster, smarter entities that make few mistakes but are exactly like humans. Okey dokey. A human that makes “few” mistakes seems like the open secret about the living dead of pretty ugly jumbo shrimp.

Have questions about Narrow, General or Super Artificial Intelligence? Have any tips you’d like to share? Tweet @amyafrica or write info@eightbyeight.com.

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