The path to achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI), AI systems with capabilities at least on par with humans in most tasks, remains a topic of debate among scientists. Opinions range from AGI being far away, to possibly emerging within a decade, to “sparks of AGI” already visible in current large language models (LLM). Some researchers even argue that today’s LLMs are AGI. In an effort to bring clarity to the discussion, a team of scientists at Google DeepMind, including Chief AGI Scientist Shane Legg, have proposed a new framework for classifying the capabilities and behavior of AGI systems and their precursors. DeepMind’s framework, like all things concerning AGI, will have its own shortcomings and detractors. But it stands as a comprehensive guide for gauging where we stand on the journey toward developing AI systems capable of surpassing human abilities.
