Can machines surpass human beings? This query has produced a lot of science fiction. However, the rapid rise of AI systems in a decade or so has led experts to conjecture that science fiction would soon become fact. Nvidia, the third most valuable US company manufacturing GPUs is headed by Jensen Huang who believes that artificial general intelligence (AGI) could be reached in five years.

What precisely is AGI and how can we be sure that it has arrived?

Huang’s conjecture should be taken with a pinch of salt. His chips provide the compute power to AI companies. Thus, he has a vested interest in promoting AI. However, Huang has defined AGI or has answered what constitutes AGI. According to him, AGI is a programme that can do 8 per cent better than most people at certain tests (such as bar examinations for lawyers or logic quizzes).