The Dawn of Superintelligence
An interactive journey into the heart of intelligence—natural and artificial—as we stand on the precipice of a new technological epoch.
Foundational Concepts
To understand superintelligence, we must first grasp the nature of intelligence itself. This section contrasts the key attributes of human cognition with the current architecture of artificial intelligence.
🧠 Human Intelligence
- ◆General & Adaptive: Ability to learn, reason, and apply knowledge across a vast range of domains.
- ◆Consciousness & Qualia: Involves subjective awareness, emotions, and self-perception.
- ◆Common Sense: An intuitive understanding of the physical and social world, built from lived experience.
⚙️ Artificial Intelligence
- ◆Narrow & Specialized: Excels at specific tasks but lacks general applicability without retraining.
- ◆Data-Driven Processing: Learns patterns from vast datasets without genuine understanding or awareness.
- ◆Brittle & Lacks Context: Can fail unexpectedly when encountering situations outside its training data.
The Spectrum of AI
The journey from simple automation to superintelligence is best understood as a progression. Click on each category to explore its definition, capabilities, and current status.
Key Milestones in AI History
The road to modern AI is paved with decades of breakthroughs. Explore some of the pivotal moments that have shaped the field by clicking on a year.
The Data Behind the Boom
Two key factors driving the AI revolution are the exponential growth in computing power and shifting public perception. These charts visualize these critical trends.
Growth in AI Training Compute
Public Opinion on AI
When Will AGI Arrive?
Expert opinions on the arrival of Artificial General Intelligence vary widely, highlighting the profound uncertainty in the field.
Potential & Peril
The development of superintelligence presents humanity with its greatest challenge and opportunity. A balanced view of the potential rewards and the critical risks.
The Rewards ✨
- ⚕️Curing Diseases: Rapidly analyzing biological data to develop cures for cancer, Alzheimer's, and aging.
- 🌍Solving Climate Change: Designing new materials, fusion energy, and carbon capture technologies.
- 🚀Space Exploration: Overcoming the vast challenges of interstellar travel and colonization.
The Risks ⚠️
- 🔗The Alignment Problem: Ensuring an AI's goals are aligned with human values, especially if it can reinterpret them.
- 🕹️The Control Problem: How can we control a system that is vastly more intelligent than we are?
- 📉Instrumental Convergence: An AI pursuing benign goals might cause harm in its pursuit of basic drives like self-preservation.