An In-Depth Look At The Three Types Of AI
The world of Artificial Intelligence(AI), can get complicated when first starting, and trying to sort through the confusing and vast amounts of AI research. So, we thought we would give a deeper look into the three types of AI, and the differences between each one.
The three types of AI are categorized as Weak AI, General AI, and Super AI. Each one differing from the other, and offering different capabilities. In this article, we will look at each type and see what it has to offer business and the concepts that still surround them.
What is Artificial Intelligence(AI)?
Before we start in on the different types, we will give you a quick look as to what AI is overall. Artificial Intelligence is a machine that has been programmed to think and mimic people or human-like abilities. It grants a digital computer or computer-operated robot the ability to perform tasks similar to the way a human would. AI combines computer science and data sets to problem solve, and is frequently applied to the developing systems with the intellectual processes and characteristics of humans, such as the ability to reason, discover meaning, generalize, or learn from past experiences to get a better result and solve issues.
AI is a wonderful tool in growing a business and making everyday life easier and more efficient. It can help a business grow and flourish by streamlining processes and uncovering data to help produce better business decisions and strategies. It is also capable of helping businesses to maintain a competitive edge and help someone’s business stand out among the others.
What is Weak AI?
Weak AI, also sometimes called Narrow AI, is a type of AI that is limited to a specific or narrow area, and simulates human cognition. It focuses on performing a specific task, such as answering questions based on user input or tracking data, however, it can not do both tasks at once. It focuses solely on one task input at a time.
Weak AI systems do not have general intelligence, but they have specific intelligence that allows them to still carry out tasks. For instance, weak AI could help you learn French or it could help dust windows, but it could not do both tasks simultaneously as a human could. However, this AI type can still help turn big amounts of data into usable information by detecting patterns and making predictions to further business reports or help an organization stay organized.
An example of this AI type is the Spam filter in your email. It is able to detect spam, and then move it into the spam folder, without the person having to directly move the email there themselves.
In short, Weak AI appears to think as a human would think and imitate that, however it is not actually conscious in any sense of the word as a person would. For example, if one way of teaching French wasn’t working, a person would know to try another way, whereas a Weak AI machine will continue to operate the same teaching style since it is not capable of realizing that its teaching method is not efficient. So, Weak AI is bound by the rules that were made into the computer, and it can not go beyond those rules. However, it is still a great tool to complete tedious or time-consuming tasks that would help a business flourish.
What is General AI?
General AI, also known as Strong AI, when a machine is capable of understanding the world as any human would, and with the same capacity to learn. With this type of AI, it is capable of all that Weak AI is, however unlike Weak AI, General AI is able to adjust what it has been programmed for in order to carry out a specific task better or more efficiently.
In theory, a General AI machine could carry out any task a human could with ease, and would also be able to go above the capabilities of a person. At the very least, this type of AI would be able to combine flexible thinking and reasoning with computational advantages, such as near-instant recall and split-second number-crunching that the human brain may take a few minutes to complete, all without losing their human-like qualities and way of thinking.
We have seen this type of AI appear in futuristic talks, such as the job force, and how daily life would change if a computer of General AI were to be invented correctly. They could perform and operate better than people, so why would people still be needed? A question that often arises when talking about General AI. Perhaps it will be answered in the future.
What is Super AI?
Super AI is the hypothetical concept that AI that doesn’t just mimic or understand human intelligence and behavior, or imitate it, but would also become self-aware and surpass the capacity of human intelligence and ability. It would exceed human cognition by a landslide in every possible way.
While Super AI is still a theory, a lot of scenarios involving it have already been envisioned. In many of our SciFi and Dystopian movies that involve robots taking over humanity and even enslaving humanity have all been made, regarding the concept of Super AI. But at its roots, the concept of Super AI is that it will evolve to be so aware of human emotions and experiences, that it doesn’t just understand them, but also evokes emotions, needs, beliefs, and desires of its very own. Taking human imitation so far, that it has almost completely become one if only it had blood coursing through its body rather than wires.
The potential of having such powerful machines has been up for debate and many questions have circulated about it. If self-aware super-intelligent beings came to be, they would be capable of ideas that would impact humanity, our survival, and our way of life, but as of right now it is all still speculation. But it hasn’t stopped us from thinking about it and making movies of all the existential questions.
To Conclude:
Hopefully, after reading this article, you now have a better idea as to what the three types of AI are, and where we are at with each type as we move into the future. Weak AI is what we see most common right now, where a computer-operate machine has been programmed to imitate human-like behavior and complete tedious tasks. General AI, goes one step higher, being able to not only do as programmed, but adjust when necessary. And then Super AI, the hypothetical concept that is the star in many SciFi movies, that would make machines have the ability to have emotions and make decisions as a person would. So, it is clear to see that AI is able to help a business and organization soar when done correctly and efficiently, yet as we approach the future, AI is capable of changing not only businesses but the world as we know it.