Types of Artificial Intelligence AI (power)
There are several types of Artificial intelligence: ANI, AGI, and ASI.
- ANI: has a narrow-range of abilities.
- AGI: is about as capable as a human.
- ASI: is more capable than a human.
Type #1: Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI)
When an AI’s ability to mimic human intelligence and/or behaviour is isolated to a narrow range of parameters and contexts, it’s called ANI (also known as Weak AI or Narrow AI). All existing AI are ANI.
It’s important to keep in mind that we are talking about narrow intelligence, not low intelligence.
The Artificial intelligence that Google uses to rank pages is not stupid. It’s a sophisticated technology worth billions, but it can’t do much beyond rank pages. For example, it can’t write code.
It is focused on one narrow task, the phenomenon that machines which are not too intelligent to do their own work can be built in such a way that they seem smart. An example would be a poker game where a machine beats human where in which all rules and moves are fed into the machine. Here each and every possible scenario need to be entered beforehand manually. Each and every weak Artificial Intelligence will contribute to the building of strong AI.
More examples of AI (ANI): RankBrain by Google and Siri by Apple.
Type #2: Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)
When an AI’s ability to mimic human intelligence and/or behaviour is indistinguishable from that of a human, it’s called AGI (also known as Strong AI or Deep AI).
Most experts believe AGI is possible; however, seeing as the Fujitsu-built K, one of the world’s fastest supercomputers, took 40 minutes to simulate a single second of neural activity, I wouldn’t hold my breath.
Type #3: Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI)
When an AI doesn’t mimic human intelligence and/or behaviour but surpasses it, it’s called ASI.
ASI is something we can only speculate about. It would surpass all humans at all things: maths, writing books about Orcs & Hobbits, prescribing medicine and much, much more.
But is it even possible?
To count as an ASI, the AI would have to be capable of things we believe humans will always be able to do better than bots, such as relationships and the arts.
Even optimistic experts believe AGI, let alone ASI, requires decades more research, perhaps even centuries.
