Computers outperform humans on many tasks, but it is unclear whether and when the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI) will occur. One of the difficulties is that intelligence, both natural and artificial, is notoriously difficult to define. Much work has been done in AI both in defining general intelligence , and specifying different forms of intelligent behaviour and reasoning ability, drawing both on principles of mathematical logic and rationality, and on work in psychology and neurobiology. This project draws on leading work in these fields to further develop and critically assess notions of general intelligence used in AI.
Recent progress in neurobiology and psychology has illuminated aspects of general intelligence in biology, including its computational organization, evolutionary origins, relation to other capacities such as cultural intelligence, and association with traits such as brain size and processing speed. This has contributed to growing cross-fertilisation with machine learning; reflected in the research strategy of leading teams, including our industry partners Google DeepMind and Vicarious. This project will draw on the latest findings in neurobiology and psychology, combined with work in computer science and cognitive robotics, with the ultimate aim of mapping the space of possible intelligences – biological, artificial, and hybrid. This will enable more accurate predictions of AGI development and improved assessments of its benefits and risks.
Investigating the nature and function of consciousness in humans, animals, and AI. The nature and function of consciousness is one of the most important outstanding problems of human science, and connects closely with ethical issues such as our treatment of animals, the welfare of patients in persistent vegetative states, and even the moral status of […]
Can machines be creative? Examining the capacity for creative thought. Creativity is often considered a distinctive feature of human or human-like intelligence. Scientists and artists struggle to explain their creativity, often resorting to all-too-easy creation myths (eg Newton’s apple), appealing to the divine, or citing the immense complexity and idiosyncrasy of the human mind. This […]
Investigating the possibilities for bi-directional knowledge transfer between biological and artificial intelligence. AI has made rapid progress in recent years, overtaking human performance on complex tasks. However, there remain many areas where AI cannot compete with even simple biological organisms. Such areas include understanding object permanence and intuitive physics, one-shot learning, intelligent exploration and generalising […]
RECOG-AI aims to improve AI evaluation by providing a framework and benchmarks for measuring the capabilities of AI systems. RECOG-AI is a two-year (2021-2023) DARPA-funded project on the Robust Evaluation of Cognitive Capabilities and Generality in Artificial Intelligence. The RECOG-AI project is split into three core research packages, as below. Codify The first work package is the […]
We want to make cross-disciplinary research on the diversity of intelligences easier to navigate, by collecting and synthesising it in a single, accessible resource – an Atlas of Intelligences. Intelligence is found in a wide range of organisms and systems. We see it in everything from humans to hagfish, bacteria to bee colonies, and magpies […]
External Advisor
Associate Fellow
Associate Director (Education) | Programme Co-Director
Programme Co-Director | Senior Research Fellow
Associate Fellow (former Research Fellow, 2017 - 2020)
External Collaborator
Research Assistant | Student Fellow
Associate Fellow
Senior Research Fellow
Associate Fellow
Spoke Co-Lead, Imperial
Research Associate
Associate Fellow
Director
