Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is the creation of a cognitive affordance with broad capabilities at the human level and ultimately beyond. AGI has been distinguished from what in the past has been termed by some as "narrow artificial intelligence (ai) or weak ai that can solve discrete problems but is unable to solve problems in another domain.
Narrow or weak ai has been the "low hanging fruit". Most public and private investment has gone into narrow ai and relatively little into AGI. As the scope and scale of computing, data and human resources have increased and as new insights have been won the substrate for AGI is being laid. It remains an extremely ambitious goal that some doubt is either attainable or desirable. Others hold that it holds great promise for mankind and is attainable some time in the decades ahead.
Artificial General Intelligence involves longer term, very profound questions as to both how it can be created and its implications for mankind. Public understanding and discussion of the issues involved is needed. A number of organizations have been created to build public awareness and to develop both understanding and public policy suggestions.
