193 - Guest: Rachel St. Clair, AGI Scientist, part 1
Feb 26, 2024
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Guest Rachel St. Clair, AGI Scientist, discusses markers for AGI, distinctions between AGI and narrow AI, self-driving cars, robotics, embodiment, and even disco balls. Plus, insights on the quest for AGI, embodiment in AI, hypervectors, and AI in modern dating.
AGI aims to create conscious AI entities like Data from Star Trek, surpassing human abilities.
Hierarchical abstract spaces and embodiment are vital for AGI to achieve diverse problem-solving capabilities.
Deep dives
Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and Its Ambitious Goals
Rachel St. Clair, CEO of Simulai, focuses on developing advanced neuromorphic hardware designs for efficient AI, with AGI as the ultimate goal. AGI aims to create human-like, conscious AI entities that enhance problem-solving capacities. This pursuit includes revolutionizing tech pain points like compression, data storage, towards achieving AGI.
Defining Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and Its Challenges
AGI poses a challenging definition, with the goal of creating an AI similar to Data from Star Trek, possessing self-awareness, independent thought, and a deep understanding like humans. Achieving an AI that surpasses human abilities and aids in addressing human deficiencies in logic, emotions, and understanding, remains a complex yet ambitious endeavor.
Hierarchy, Embodiment, and Learning Challenges in AGI Development
AGI development involves creating hierarchical abstract spaces within AI models through hypervectors, analogous to encoding deep conceptual knowledge. Embodiment and understanding of fundamental physics are vital for AGI to navigate real-world tasks seamlessly. The model's ability to switch between varied tasks and retain core concept models plays a crucial role in achieving AGI's diverse problem-solving capabilities.
Artificial General Intelligence: Once upon a time, this was considered a pipe dream, a fantasy of dreamers with no sense of the practical limitations of real AI.
That was last year.
Now, AGI is an explicit goal of many enterprises, notably among them Simuli. Their CEO, Rachel St. Clair, co-founded the company with Ben Goertzel, who has also been on this show. Rachel is a Fellow of the Center for Future Mind, with a doctorate in Complex Systems and Brain Sciences from Florida Atlantic University. She researches artificial general intelligence, focusing on complex systems and neuromorphic learning algorithms. Her goal is to “help create human-like, conscious, artificial, general intelligence to help humans solve the worst of our problems.”
In part 1 we talk about markers for AGI, distinctions between it and narrow artificial intelligence, self-driving cars, robotics, and embodiment, and… disco balls.
All this plus our usual look at today's AI headlines.