What Is Artificial Intelligence Explosion And Is An Intelligence Explosion Possible?

We’re all aware that artificial intelligence is going to change the world. It is already doing so. And with every passing day, it is becoming a lot more prevalent. As it advances, it will recursively self-improve leading to an intelligence explosion. Today, we’ll discuss what an artificial intelligence explosion is and whether it’s possible. Let's start!

What is Artificial Intelligence Explosion?

Imagine a scenario where humanity has managed to build a superintelligent AI that can far surpass all the intellectual activities of any man however clever. This superintelligent AI can design even better AI, and that AI will design even better AI, and so on.

It will be a continuous process and the superintelligent AI will recursively self-improve itself by designing better AI programs. In short, intelligence explosion is the idea that AI intelligence could grow exponentially in the future, making AI, the smartest being on the planet.

As has been noted by many AI experts, the potential consequences of a singularity are far-reaching. It is estimated that the consequences of a singularity could be either a catastrophe or a paradise for humanity.

If a machine can think, it might think more intelligently than we do, and then where should we be? Even if we could keep the machines in a subservient position… we should, as a species, feel greatly humbled.
Alan Turing, 1951

Read More: AI Take Over: Can AI Take Over Humans And What Year Will AI Possibly Take Over?

Is an Intelligence Explosion Possible?

We’ve already seen the rise of machines with a level of performance on par or exceeding that of humans in a number of tasks, including playing video games, diagnosing medical conditions, and even beating world champions at the game of Go and Chess.

All of this suggests that we’re in the early stages of a true intelligence explosion, which would be a technological leap that allows machines to become smarter than human beings. And that could happen within a few decades.

Many experts believe that the era of an intelligence explosion is imminent. iRobot CEO Rodney Brooks and cognitive scientist Douglas Hofstadter agree that the intelligence explosion is likely to happen in the future, but probably not in the twenty-first century. 

American inventor and futurist, Ray Kurzweil has predicted that AI will achieve human-like intelligence by 2029 and achieve singularity in 2045. To conclude, intelligence explosion looks inevitable.