Course Overview

What Is AGI 101?

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), often referred to as "Strong AI", is a form of artificial intelligence that holds the intellectual capabilities of a human being, encompassing the ability to understand, learn, adapt, and implement knowledge across a wide array of tasks and disciplines (Bostrom, 2014). Unlike Narrow Artificial Intelligence (AI), which is designed to perform specific tasks, AGI aims for comprehensive cognitive abilities, where it can outperform humans at nearly all economically valuable work (Kurzweil, 2005). 

The potential of AGI is colossal, as it promises to revolutionize everything from healthcare and education to finance and entertainment. However, the pitfalls are equally significant. The rise of AGI raises concerns about job displacement, security, and even existential risks if it spirals out of human control (Russell, 2019). Furthermore, ethical implications surrounding AGI are profound, touching on issues such as privacy, accountability, and the potential for misuse (Cath, 2018).

This course delves into the nuances of AGI, allowing learners to understand its potential, recognize its pitfalls, and discuss ethical questions raised by its development and deployment by educating the learners on the concepts, how it works, how it doesn't, and educating how to be safe with AI as a whole. 

The Misconceptions of AGIs

• AGI equals human-like consciousness: One common misconception is that AGI will have a consciousness similar to humans, with emotions, self-awareness, and subjective experiences. While AGI seeks to match human-level cognitive abilities, it does not necessarily imply the presence of consciousness or emotions (Goertzel & Pennachin, 2007).

• AGI is imminent: The timeline for the development of AGI is highly uncertain. Despite notable advances in AI, the creation of AGI - AI that matches human cognitive abilities across a wide range of tasks - remains a colossal challenge and is not necessarily imminent (Armstrong & Sotala, 2012).

• AGI will necessarily lead to a utopia or dystopia: The potential outcomes from the development of AGI are often polarized into utopian or dystopian narratives. The reality is likely more nuanced, with a spectrum of possible outcomes contingent on how AGI is developed, deployed, and managed (Bostrom, 2014).

• AGI development is a purely technical problem: Many believe that AGI is solely a technical issue. However, its development also involves ethical, societal, and policy aspects. The deployment of AGI will influence job markets, privacy, security, and even geopolitics, thus requiring multidisciplinary considerations (Russell, 2019).

Where will we go?

Our learning journey into Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) will be facilitated by several primary and supplementary tools. Here are the platforms we'll use for main activities:

1. OpenAI's ChatGPT: Our primary tool for interactive discussions and learning, helping students explore complex AGI-related concepts.

2. DALL-E 2: To illustrate AGI's potential and limitations in creative tasks, we'll be using DALL-E 2, which generates images from text descriptions.

3. Bigjpg AI Upscale: An online tool for improving image resolution with AI, illustrating the applications and limitations of AGI in image processing.

4. Grammarly: A real-time AI-assisted writing tool that will help students refine their articulations on AGI topics.

5. Speechify: This tool converts text to speech, allowing us to experiment with AI-generated voice-overs and understand its implications.

6. GitHub Copilot (Optional): This AI-driven coding platform will demonstrate AGI's role in software development.

7. Midjourney (Optional): A platform for interaction with various AI models, providing a broader understanding of AGI.

We also have some supplementary resources for specific tasks:

1. Symbolab Calculator: An online calculator to facilitate and verify mathematical computations.

2. Photopea: An online image editor that we'll use for tasks requiring image downscaling.

Links are verified as safe, and you can find them in the course resources section when needed.