Types of AI: distinguishing between weak, strong, and …

By now, youre probably pretty familiar with the term artificial intelligence.

You likely already know that AI is a computers ability to think and act intelligently.

You might already understand terms like machine learning and natural language processing.

But what about distinguishing between the different types of AI? Weak, strong, super, narrow, wide, ANI, AGI, ASI there are seemingly a lot of labels for types of AI.

So, even if you know what AI is and what it does, determining which type youre talking about isnt so clear.

For all the labels, there are only three main types of AI: weak AI, strong AI, and super AI.

Heres how to tell them apart.

Weak AI is both the most limited and the most common of thethree types of AI. Its also known as narrow AI or artificial narrow intelligence(ANI).

Weak AI refers to any AI tool that focuses on doing one task really well. That is, it has a narrow scope in terms of what it can do. The idea behind weak AI isnt to mimic or replicate human intelligence. Rather, its to simulate human behaviour.

Weak AI is nowhere near matching human intelligence, and it isnt trying to.

A common misconception about weak AI is that its barely intelligent at all more like artificial stupidity than AI. But even the smartest seeming AI of today are only weak AI.

In reality, then, narrow or weak AI is more like an intelligent specialist. Its highly intelligent at completing the specific tasks its programmed to do.

The next of the types of AI is strong AI, which is alsoknown as general AI or artificial general intelligence (AGI). Strong AI refersto AI that exhibits human-level intelligence. So, it can understand, think, andact the same way a human might in any given situation.

In theory, then, anything a human can do, a strong AI can dotoo.

We dont yet have strong AI in the world; it exists only in theory.

For a start, Moravecs paradox has us struggling to replicate the basic human functions like sight or movement. (Though image and facial recognition mean that AI is now learning to see and categorise.)

Add to this that currently, AI is only capable of the few things we program into it, and its clear that strong AI is a long way off. Its thought that to achieve true strong AI, we would need to make our machines conscious.

But if strong AI already mimics human intelligence andability, whats left for the last of the types of AI?

Super AI is AI that surpasses human intelligence andability. Its also known as artificial superintelligence (ASI) orsuperintelligence. Its the best at everything maths, science, medicine,hobbies, you name it. Even the brightest human minds cannot come close to theabilities of super AI.

Of the types of AI, super AI is the one most people mean when they talk about robots taking over the world.

Or about AI overthrowing or enslaving humans. (Or most other science fiction AI tropes.)

But rest assured, super AI is purely speculative at this point. That is, its not likely to exist for an exceedingly long time (if at all).

Distinguishing between types of AI means looking at what thetechnology can do. If its good at specific actions only, its narrow or weakAI. If it operates at the same level as a human in any situation, its strongAI. And, if its operating far above the capacity any human could hope for, itsartificial superintelligence.

So far, weve only achieved the first of the three types of AI weak AI. As research continues, its reasonable to strive for strong AI.

Super AI, meanwhile, will likely remain the stuff of science fiction for a long while yet.

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Types of AI: distinguishing between weak, strong, and ...