Will AI overtake human intelligence?

“Full artificial intelligence could be humanity’s biggest disaster or best event”. Professor Stephen Hawking.

This quote from Professor Stephen Hawking refers to the hypothetical situation when humanity has artificial general intelligence (AGI) or AI singularity is achieved. This is currently a hotly debated topic among academics and business leaders seeking to win the AI super race. There is no consensus on whether AGI will happen, as opinion depends on who is leading the AGI debate.

What happens when we reach AGI

AGI means that we will experience new ways of living and behaviours that we have not seen before. Human civilisation will be changed dramatically, inevitably leading to the creation of new ways of interacting with each other and managing our professional lives. New jobs and industries will emerge in response to the following changes:

Superintelligence – AI capabilities are far beyond those of humans
Self-Improvement – AI becomes capable of “positive feedback loop” and designs even more intelligent versions of itself
Unpredictability – AI becomes unpredictable and beyond human control
Technological growth – AI accelerates technical advancement at an
exponential rate.

How AI exceeds human capabilities now

Many people only became aware of AI when OpenAI released ChatGPT in November 2022. It was a wakeup call to the world that technology had been quietly progressing in the background to the point where large language models (LLMs) became a mainstream commodity and accessible to the average person. Yet AI has existed since the 1950s when Alan Turing, the widely acclaimed Father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence, conducted experiments that demonstrated machines could respond to queries in ways that are indistinguishable from human beings and hence the term ‘artificial intelligence’.

Since the 1950s, technologists around the world have pushed the innovative boundaries of computing to achieve some amazing results that far exceed human capabilities now. Consider the following:

• Speed of data assimilation and analysis
• Pattern detection and trend predictions
• Multi-language interchange at high speeds
• Accuracy of early-stage medical diagnosis
• Creation of moving images from still pictures
• Image recognition from distances beyond the human eye
• Robotic manoeuvrers in areas dangerous for humans
• Champion of complex board games like chess, Go and poker

This is not an exhaustive list and is truly impressive, demonstrating the potential for further growth in the AI industry. When AI is used in a
purpose-led way with good intentions and appropriate safeguards, AI can amplify human capabilities to produce super results. Look at the video of the changing faces on this website, which was designed and created using AI. It adds depth, perspective and meaning to our motto: AI-MS is for everyone. It is a really exciting time to be alive and everyone, young and old should look for ways to embrace AI within both their personal and professional lives.

Human capability exceeds AI

A movie sound engineer asked ChatGPT to write a poem to his wife for their anniversary. She was touched by the beautiful words until it dawned on her that her husband had never been so eloquent in the past. It was a face-off as she asked: “Did you get ChatGPT to write that poem?” He confessed and experienced the wrath of her fury at his lazy approach to a love poem. He was in the ‘doghouse’ and desperately needed to appease her. So, guess what he did? You got it – asked ChatGPT to write an apology for him.

How did she know the poem wasn’t written by her husband? We must always remember that LLMs operate based on available or stored data used for training or testing. GenAI models like basic ChatGPT generate new content from data that already exists based on User prompts. The wife knew not only the type of words her husband would use, but also his speech style, and emotional feelings. These are the things deep inside a human being which are superior to AI. Consider the following:

Love – heightened emotions which at times happens for no logical reason
Conscience – not hallucinating, but doing the right thing without rules
Emotional intelligence – responding in an altruistic way not based on data
Interpersonal skills – ability to be civil or like someone who isn’t nice to you
Intrapersonal skills – self-awareness to improve one’s behaviour

Agentic AI takes the GenAI process further by autonomously creating goals, plans and workflows to achieve an objective. While having the ability to generate and handle impressive tasks and workflows, it doesn’t match the human feel and touch. That unwitting glance that says everything without a word. That soft voice of reason when you’re overwhelmed and can’t think straight or have no capacity to study the results and trends of a chart. Robot may be putting babies to sleep or providing companionship for lonely mature citizens in nursing homes, but those lonely people would swap a polite jovial 16-year-old for a robot any day. Let’s not forget what makes us human and how we can outdo AI with our personal skills