What AGI is and why it matters
AGI, or Artificial General Intelligence, is a form of machine intelligence with human level reasoning and competence.
AGI systems may constitute a crucial turning point with massive implications for all of humanity. While AGI does not presently exist, it may happen much sooner than most people realize. In just the past year, there has been notable progress in cutting edge AI systems generalizing their capabilities.
There are concerns about the potential risks of AGI, such as the possibility of machines becoming uncontrollable or developing goals that may be harmful to humans, or even posing an existential risk to humanity. At the same time, AGI has the potential to greatly benefit society by solving complex problems, improving efficiency, and enhancing our capabilities.
Considering the stakes, this may be humanity’s greatest and most consequential challenge to date, and AIGS’s core mission is to help humanity navigate this transition successfully.
Introductory Materials
AI experts are increasingly afraid of what they’re creating – Vox (written article, estimated reading time 18 minutes)
“For a long time, AI safety faced the difficulty of being a research field about a far-off problem, which is why only a small number of researchers were even trying to figure out how to make it safe. Now, it has the opposite problem: The challenge is here, and it’s just not clear if we’ll solve it in time.”
An executive primer on artificial general intelligence – McKinsey & Company (written article, estimated reading time 15 minutes)
“Even a small probability of achieving AGI in the next decade justifies paying attention to developments in the field, given the potentially dramatic inflection point that AGI could bring about in society.”
The AI Revolution: The Road to Superintelligence – Wait But Why (written article, estimated reading time 35 minutes)
“There are three reasons a lot of people are confused about the term AI:
1) We associate AI with movies.
2) AI is a broad topic.
3) We use AI all the time in our daily lives, but we often don’t realize it’s AI.
So let’s clear things up.”
Artificial Intelligence Resource Page – Our World in Data (resource page, including several medium-length articles and graphs)
“Even a small probability of achieving AGI in the next decade justifies paying attention to developments in the field, given the potentially dramatic inflection point that AGI could bring about in society.”
Courses & Books
Convinced of the problem, or looking to confirm your skepticism at a deeper level? Here are some materials for those looking to dig deeper.
Recommended Reading – Apart Research (list of papers and books, neatly filters to varying levels of technical knowledge)
AGI Safety Fundamentals – BlueDot Impact (12-week, part-time course)
Career Guidance & Support
Looking to shift your career toward working on reducing AGI x-risk?
Join the AIGS slack to get connected with other Canadian enthusiasts and experts.
How to pursue a career in technical AI alignment – Charlie Rogers-Smith (written article, estimated reading time 47 minutes)
Database of training resources – AI Safety Support (a series of events and opportunities, geared toward those further along on their path to working in AI Safety)
