As research progresses in the field of AI, the concept of AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) begins to move from theory to reality. There is no doubt that we are living in the initial phase of the AI age, with many generative AI applications already available. But what is the next step? Is AGI the future? To understand what Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is, and how it can affect humanity, read on.

When it comes to the definition of AGI, there is no broad consensus on what it means among researchers and AI labs. However, the term AGI – Artificial General Intelligence – is primarily understood as a type of AI system that can match or surpass human abilities, especially in cognitive tasks.

Many AI labs have their own definition of AGI. In February 2023, OpenAI explained what AGI means to them: "AI systems that are generally smarter than humans". The company wants to develop AGI that can benefit all of humanity. In the same breath, OpenAI acknowledges the "serious" risks associated with a technology like AGI that has the potential for "misuse, drastic accidents, and societal disruption."

Shane Legg, one of the founders of DeepMind (now Google DeepMind) and currently the AGI manager at the same company, coined the term AGI together with Ben Goertzel, his research colleague. Legg says AGI is a very broad thing. DeepMind's position on AGI is that such a system "must not only be able to perform a range of tasks, it must also be able to learn how to do those tasks, assess its performance, and ask for help when needed."