The Task of the Creation of Artificial General Intelligence and the Problem of Consciousness

Abstract

The article discusses the task of creation of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), that is, an artificial intelligence system that approaches the functional capabilities of natural intelligence. Emphasis is made on the leading role of Sberbank in updating and organizing a special research program in order to develop this problem, which is of strategic importance for Russia. It has been established that the successful implementation of this program presupposes solving fundamental methodological issues that require input of philosophers - specialists in the field of epistemology and methodology of science. We show the relations of the concepts of “artificial” and “natural,” “strong” and “weak,” “general” and “narrow” intelligence. The article reveals the theoretical difficulties associated with a clear definition of the properties of general intelligence and the ways of its practical implementation. The author draws attention to the importance of studies of consciousness for the development of general artificial intelligence and comes to the conclusion that the priority issues are using the results of the phenomenological analysis of subjective reality, its value-semantic and op-erational structures. The paper discusses these issues in detail, as they are of direct relevance to the construction of new cognitive architectures. The latter make it possible, to go beyond the limits of “narrow” artificial intelligence and create AGI with a high degree of autonomy and independent solutions to a wide range of problems in different environments. It demonstrates the limitation of Turing's operationalist methodology that excludes the use of the results of special studies of consciousness as a subjective reality. Application of such results is associated with the development of post-Turing methodology, which opens up significant opportunities for creating an AGI.