How Do We Test Super Smart AI Models?
Here is the latest research in plain language
As artificial intelligence systems get bigger and smarter, it’s becoming really important to have good ways to test just how intelligent they actually are.
The methods used today have some limitations.
Many of the tests just look at how well the AI can perform specific tasks like answering questions or writing essays. But real intelligence involves many different skills — things like problem-solving, social skills, and being able to learn and adapt.
The current tests don’t give us a full picture.
Researchers are working on a new approach inspired by the tests used to evaluate human intelligence, ahe idea is to create a whole battery of different tests that assess all the various aspects of intelligence. Kind of like those IQ tests that have sections on math, language, spatial skills, and more.
But instead of just asking questions on a paper test, these AI intelligence tests would actually simulate real-world situations and environments. The AI system would interact in a virtual world or community, almost like a video game and as it encounters different scenarios and challenges, its responses and behaviors could be evaluated from multiple angles.
For example, one test might involve the AI trying to collaborate with other AI agents or virtual characters to solve a complex problem, so that eventually would reveal its social intelligence and ability to communicate effectively. Another test could require quickly learning and applying new skills, measuring its ability to adapt.
These kinds of comprehensive, interactive evaluations would give a much richer understanding of the AI’s full intellectual capabilities compared to today’s narrow, task-specific tests. Of course, developing this new testing framework and virtual environments is extremely complex work.
Another key aspect is making the evaluations realistic. After all, an AI assistant isn’t much use if it only works well on simple, idealized tests. The virtual scenarios need to capture all the messiness and unpredictability of the real world that the AI may ultimately operate in.
As for scoring the evaluations, that’s where human judgment still comes in. Researchers would analyse the AI’s performance holistically across the various tests, and would look at factors like the ability to understand context, common sense reasoning, emotional intelligence, and safe exploration.
While these cognitive science-inspired tests are still largely conceptual for now, they represent an exciting new direction for really measuring and advancing artificial intelligence, so that by developing richer evaluations that get at the heart of intelligence itself, we can ensure smarter AI systems are truly ready to be integrated into our world and society.
Source:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2024.109550
https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(24)00772-7?dgcid=raven_jbs_aip_emai
