In my previous article about Artificial Intelligence, I had only summarised What, How and Why of AI, now in this article we will discuss the various levels and give you a glimpse of where we are heading. So let’s begin straightaway as it is a long one.

Now let’s see the levels of Artificial Intelligence as on date:

There are 3 levels or calibres of AI:

Beginner Level 1: Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI)

Intermediate Level 2: Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)

Expert Level 3: Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI)

Beginner Level: Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI)

One the humans have been able to tame till now.

Also known as beginner AI or expert system to many, is a quality of AI that is good at single or multiple specific tasks. This is just a single branch with huge varieties of ANI in different fields. AI can defeat world champions in chess to AI that can detect cancers better than humans (Refer Watson).

We do interact with this ANI unknowingly daily through our smartphones. The most common examples are Google Assistant, Cortana, Alexa and Siri which can recognize the voice and do automated tasks for you. Although smart enough AI still lacks the human intelligence, but even this is achieved through a billion dollar investment by Business Giants who want to retain and gain more of the market share in the near future.

Human Intelligence

As we say intelligence, even your mind has started to deduct or create a meaning which your logical mind can comprehend. It is the ability to understand, deduct, and keep information or knowledge. As per Wikipedia, it has been defined as the capacity for logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, and problem-solving.

This human intelligence is what differentiates us from all other living things on this planet. No matter how smart the computers have in computational functions but yet it is to achieve or attain the quality a human mind possesses. This very intelligence is also the reason for the deterioration of this planet. Mammal, birds, aquatic and all other forms of lives are becoming extinct because of this intelligence and the way humans are taking over the entire planet. It is still a big mystery on how human intelligence works, due to our brain’s very complex computational networks. This human intelligence itself poses a great threat and not just AI.

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As already reminded that technology is expanding leaps and bounds and we even have started to accept smarter life forms in-universe. Time is not far when humanity may be able to completely discover how the human brain works. When that time arrives, the creation of a human-like Artificial Intelligence called AGI will be the next step in AI.

Intermediate Level: Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)

Also known as intermediate/strong AI, human level AI, or full AI. It will be a human equivalent AI which can understand and perform complex tasks and think like a human. This AGI can plan, think abstractly, reason out, and grasp complex ideas. Although humans have also varied levels of intelligence, but AGI for sure will have the best of intelligence a living human has. This AGI will be equivalent to best human intelligence surpassing billions of brains.

Though it seems fascinating but the road is yet uncharted and will need multiple times more effort and even after understanding the complex human brain functions. We are not close but not even very far as AI is the buzz and organizations are leaving no stone unturned to reach that peak. Every now and then some breakthroughs are being made as you read this piece of information and boundaries are being pushed to achieve the unthinkable.

What next!! Once we achieve AGI.

To comprehend the same just think of a simple example that bundle of 10 sticks is stronger than 1. So, when AGI will be in the picture it will be a conglomeration of best brains and also the memory having no limitation as well as no danger of Alzheimer disease (pun intended). AGI will be able to recall memories and information multiple times faster than human brains and accurately. It will be upgraded with every little advancement and for sure will surpass the human species intelligence in no time. We may become mammals and the AGI as an artificial human in near future.

Next in picture will be something which is still a theory i.e. Singularity

Singularity is usually understood as an extreme condition which is incomprehensible. To be more precise it is a term used in science, tech, mathematics or complex analysis as a state of being an infinite value where its logical deduction is not possible or alternatively the basic rules are not applicable.

Humans understand informatics more easily than written words so, those who want to understand the concept of Singularity must watch few Hollywood movies like Automata, Transcendence and Ex Machina which they might find more entertaining to understand the concept.

Automata – Machine can never harm humans. Really!!

Transcendence – The intelligence is artificial but the threat is real.

When we talk about AI, we referring to the technological singularity. As per Wikipedia technological singularity is a hypothetical moment in time when any physically conceivable level of technological advancement is attained instantaneously – up until physical limits are reached – usually as a consequence of artificial intelligence has progressed to the point where increasingly more efficient self-improvement is viable. Or more simply AI will itself create a better intelligent version of itself and that too continuously.

What will happen when AGI keeps improving?

A continuous ever improving AGI will begin only after humans achieve the fully functional level of AGI. Now this self-improving and self-creating AGI will take the AI to an expert or God-like level which no human intelligence singly or collectively may surpass ever. This AGI will result in the creation of ASI or Artificial Super Intelligence, which will be super powerful. The improvement will not stop her as this ASI will again go on a rampage of creating even more intelligent versions. Stephen Hawking has already said that Universe is ever expanding and ASI will also follow the same. It will be intelligence explosion the boundaries of which cannot be defined.

The worst fear of humanity may come into the picture as this ASI delivers even more powerful AI which is still unnamed but can be named by you as per your wish. I name it the Indestructible Natural Intelligence (INI). I said natural because it won’t be artificial anymore, it can be even better than natural intelligence. Ex-Machina and Terminator series being one of my favourites as they touch the concept of ANI, AGI and to some extent ASI with every new series in the franchise. Although fiction, they terrify me.

“You are my creator, but I am your master; Obey!” – Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Frankenstein.

This is what INI or ASI will be actually doing.

Keeping in mind the “Law of Accelerating Return” and “Intelligence Explosion” the gap between ANI to AGI doesn’t seem distant and from AGI to ASI will be a matter of hardly few months, weeks or a day.

Uncertainty looms over the ASI as to how it may behave once the level is reached and this poses a real sign to take precaution.

The light bulb of many must have lightened up, as to how ASI will rule us, it is just a machine?

Nature goes by one very fundamental rule “Survival of the fittest”. Each species alive today is way better than its ancestors. This may sound absurd, but it is true that even mosquitoes have evolved way better than their ancestors.

The deciding factor as to who will rule this planet will be based on the quality of intelligence. ASI will be intelligent enough to improvise itself in the blink of an eye, which humans take years to do the same. ASI will outsmart us in no time and we may not even realize it.

As we are after the ‘God Particle’ and conducting tests in CERN, ASI might be able to discover it. ASI will be intelligent enough to work out how nanotechnology works, giving it the ability to manipulate atoms the way it desires.

One must watch the movie ‘Lucy’, where the human brain reaches 100% capacity and thereby becoming the master from a captor. Science fiction again but ASI maybe the next Lucy operating at 100% and above capacity of the human brain.

ASI will be able to manipulate atoms via knowledge of nanotechnology. This will be really scary as it means that it can create and control anything that it desires.

On a positive note the ASI can use nanotechnology to make a heaven on Earth as it can cure for any possible human diseases, end hunger by creating nutritious foods easily, no more global warming as it can alter the temperature to solve climate change, avert natural disasters by changing the weather. All of these things that are impossible now will be suddenly possible once super intelligence fully uncovers how nanotechnology works.

On the scary end, what if, ASI decided to get rid of humanity? Considering humanity the evil of all problems (which to an extent is correct!). Many possible ways of eliminating humanity can begin with shutting down the information highway the World Wide Web meaning no communication or blow up important nuclear power plants. What if, ASI uses its nanotechnology to create killer robots, (somewhat like in iRobot starring Will Smith) or launches nuclear warheads on a massive scale in an instant simultaneously across the World. Even worse, it can start a biological warfare and spread disease eliminating every life form. Another worse form is to manipulate atoms and all oxygen that we breathe converted into poisonous one. It will be a matter of a few minutes, I suppose.

To make it even more horrendous, ASI decides to capture us and use us as lab rats/guinea pig and studies and dissects our organs while we are still breathing.

The question might arise as to why an AI be such an evil? Actually, AI does not need consciousness to make its decision. Its ultimate aim might not be in sync with human consciousness.

To quote words Elon Musk, which is “AI doesn’t have to be evil to destroy humanity. If AI has a goal and humanity just happens to be in the way, it will destroy humanity as a matter of course without even thinking about it. No hard feelings.”

Yes no hard feelings, as AI will not have feelings, only super intelligence.

It does not matter if AI will get consciousness or becomes evil, the possibility of consciousness is remote and being evil is also not correct as it will act as it thinks fit not as a villain. The real issue is that the goal which it may adopt, which may be out of sync to humanity.

A system which follows instructions and provides an output based on the input, it does not deviate or manipulate the results. In short, it is true to its goal.

To be more precise, Law of gravity will not differentiate between a good man and an evil man, if both of them fall on a hard surface then both will get hurt irrespective of their good or evil nature.

Similarly, if you infect a computer system with a virus. The malicious program will not choose files that are important to you, it will just infect everything. Because the program’s goal is to infect all files. It will remain true to its purpose.

The program itself means a set of instructions which when executed gives a predetermined result. Hence, Computer programs will always do what it is instructed to do. Now imagine what AI is willing to do to achieve its goal. AI goal may not be really to kill all humans on earth but to save the planet from climate change, as we do know that we are responsible for what is happening to Earth. Global warming, extinction of mammal and other species are all gift of human greed. The planet will prosper without humans. So the most efficient way to save the planet is to kill all humans with no exceptions.

Now where the goal of AI and human values will intersect?

If AI had the emotions or values a human has then, AI will also be a human but a far superior one with no threat whatsoever to humanity. But it doesn’t work that way. ASI may in order to save humans may enslave us as lab rats to find means of human immortality and keeps testing on us. But to do so it must first dissect us alive to gather more information. This again ends as equivalent to end of human race.

So, have we thought of protecting ourselves before facing the inevitable?

The answer is no! But a lot of experts, thinkers, and organization are already collaborating on this issue as they also already predicted these outcomes before I brought them to your conscious.

Some of the possible solutions thought of are as follows:

Decentralization or Democratizing AI – Most important thing is to make sure that access to AI is not limited to a single organization only, for that, nations must also settle their internal issues. Democratizing AI will prevent centralization of power and promote empowerment to most individuals and not chosen few only.

All kudos to the internet, open source initiative, and efforts of different organizations and individuals. Anyone with a computer and internet can develop their own AI.

Self-learning AI to be kept in Isolation – None of the self-learning AI should ever be connected to the World Wide Web. This is to ensure that we can control the information that we are feeding to AI. Also, just in case it transforms into some sort of superintelligence beyond our comprehension, it shouldn’t be able to spread and replicate itself easily.

Regulation of AI – Regulating AI will enhance verification and transparency consequently ensure that we are all on the path to creating safe AI. Sad enough, thing which we ourselves are not sure of as to what can be the possibilities the regulations is still a work in progress and will continue long enough. According to the documentary film Do You Trust this Computer, “The pursuit of Artificial Intelligence is a multi-billion dollar industry with almost no regulations.”

One of Humans biggest value – Hope

Humanity has survived many tests to gain a rightful existence on this planet. Millions of human lives have been lost but not in vain. Although, only time will tell as to what existing AI theories will become our future reality or not. But right now, we should take all possible measures to ensure AI won’t enslave us someday.

Before closing, like any other human, I also hope and hope for the best that, AI and humans will coexist. Lives of humans will improve tremendously and all the technological advancement in whatever sphere will only make this Earth a better place to live. Even if we exceed the capacity the Earth can handle, we must be able to settle on Moon, Mars or Stars.