VOA科学技术2024--Tech Companies Want to Build Artificial General Intelligence

In the middle of the 20th century, computer scientists dreamed of building a computer as smart as humans. Now, tech companies are in a race to build it.

Called artificial¹ general intelligence, or AGI, the systems would do much more than current AI technology. AGI would be as good as humans in many areas of human thinking. These include planning, problem solving, and learning² from experience.

Google, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon and Chat-GPT maker³ OpenAI are all working to develop AGI.

At the same time, governments and leading AI scientists worry about ways the technology could be dangerous for humanity⁴.

AGI development

As artificial intelligence has developed, the meaning of AGI has changed over time.

Geoffrey Hinton is a scientist who helped create the first AI systems. He told The Associated Press that 20 years ago, people would have agreed that a system like Chat-GPT had general intelligence. But now people think AGI should be able to do more than what Chat-GPT does.

Still, scientists have not yet agreed on a clear definition⁵ of AGI. "I don't think there is agreement on what the term means," Hinton said by email.

Most current artificial intelligence systems are generative AI. That means they produce things such as texts or images. While generative AI is mainly limited to such tasks, AGI could do many different kinds of work.

Pei Wang is a professor who teaches an AGI course at Temple University in the American state of Pennsylvania. He helped organize the first AGI conference in 2008. He said that adding the letter 'G' to AI sent an important message. It showed that computer scientists "still want to do the big thing. We don't want to build tools. We want to build a thinking machine," Wang said.

Finding⁶ agreement on how to measure AGI is one of the issues that will be discussed next month at an AGI conference in Vienna, Austria.

"This really needs a community's effort and attention so that mutually we can agree on some sort of classifications⁸ of AGI," said Jiaxuan You. He is an assistant professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

OpenAI, based in the state of California, says its nonprofit board of directors will decide when its systems have reached AGI. OpenAI defines⁹ AGI as a system that can "outperform humans at most economically valuable work."

If OpenAI develops AGI, its partner Microsoft will not have the rights to make money from it. In 2020, Microsoft signed an agreement with OpenAI that gave Microsoft the rights to OpenAI's AI models. However, that agreement is supposed to end once OpenAI has created AGI.

Is AGI dangerous?

Last year the 76-year-old Hinton quit his job at Google. He wanted to share his worries about the possible dangers of AI.

A recent study in the journal¹⁰ Science also warned of AI systems able to plan for the future.

Michael Cohen is a researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, and lead writer of the study. He said he worries that an AGI system might create plans to make humans disappear.

"I hope we've made the case that people in government (need) to start thinking seriously about exactly what regulations we need to address this problem," Cohen said.

Push to develop AGI

Some people in the tech industry want to develop AGI slowly and carefully. Still, companies are competing to develop the systems.

London-based Deep Mind was founded in 2010 with the goal of developing AGI. It is now owned by Google. OpenAI was founded in 2015 to develop AGI, but with the added goal of making the technology safe.

In January, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said his company's long-term goal was to build "full general intelligence".

At Amazon, the head scientist for the voice assistant Alexa changed job titles to become head scientist for AGI.

You, the University of Illinois researcher, said working on AGI may help tech companies find the most talented computer scientists. He said many researchers would choose to work on AGI instead of generative AI.

Words in This Story

task n. - a job, function, or piece of work to do

mutually adv. - both, together

classification⁷ n. - a system of organization or putting into groups

1 artificial   

adj.人工的，人造的，人为的；做作的，假装的

参考例句：

• The new dam will form a large artificial lake behind it.新筑的水坝将会在后面形成一个人工湖。
• We don't use any artificial flavourings in our products.我们的产品不使用任何人工调味剂。

2 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

3 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

4 humanity   

n.人类，[总称]人(性)，人道[pl.]人文学科

参考例句：

• Such an act is a disgrace to humanity.这种行为是人类的耻辱。
• We should treat animals with humanity.我们应该以仁慈之心对待动物。

5 definition   

n.定义；限定，确定；清晰度

参考例句：

• The book attempts a definition of his role in world politics.该书要阐明的是他在世界政局中的作用。
• I made a definition for this word.我给这个字下了定义。

6 finding   

n.发现，发现物；调查的结果

参考例句：

• The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
• That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。

7 classification   

n.分类，分级；类别，级别

参考例句：

• These things belong in a different classification.这些东西属于不同的类别。
• This is a good system for classification.这是一个很好的分类法。

8 classifications   

分类( classification的名词复数 )； 分级； 类别； （动植物等的）分类学

参考例句：

• Its tariffs cater for four basic classifications of customer. 它的价目表适合4个基本类别的顾客。
• A number of terms are used in various classifications of transplants. 移植物的各种分类中应用了一系列的名词。

9 defines   

规定( define的第三人称单数 )； 使明确； 精确地解释； 画出…的线条

参考例句：

• This name defines us all. 这个名字造就了我们。 来自演讲部分
• The range of incomes over which this happens defines the 'poverty trap'. 发生在这种情况的收入范围，称为“贫困陷阱。”

10 journal   

n.日志，日记；议事录；日记帐；杂志，定期刊物

参考例句：

• He kept a journal during his visit to Japan.他在访问日本期间坚持记日记。
• He got a job as editor of a trade journal.他找到了一份当商业杂志编辑的工作。