OpenAI's 5 phases toward AGI

OpenAI has introduced a five-level classification system to track progress toward developing artificial general intelligence (AGI). In this article, we talk about what AGI is and the different levels of development.

What is AGI?

AGI refers to an AI system that provides human capabilities

AGI stands for "artificial general intelligence," or Artificial General Intelligence. It is a system that can perform and experience human tasks, but in addition it can surpass it.

According to various sources including Stanford, it is a form of artificial intelligence that is able to understand and learn knowledge or input and apply it in different ways. As a result, these tools are getting smarter and smarter, making both the output and the conversations between humans and robots better and better.

Below we discuss the 5 levels of AGI development.

Level 1: Conversational AI

This is the level where most language models are. AI systems can have natural conversations with humans. Examples include chatbots such as ChatGPT (up to ChatGPT-4o), Gemini and Claude that are used in customer service and as personal assistants.

Level 2: Reasoning AI

AI systems can solve basic problems at a level comparable to a person with a PhD, but without access to external tools. At this level, AI outperforms 50% of humans on the tasks they are skilled at. OpenAI launched ChatGPT-o1 on September 12, 2024 which is the first AI model at this level. This is an important step toward more advanced AI applications.

Level 3: Autonomous AI

AI systems (AI agents) can act autonomously and perform tasks on behalf of users over several days. This means that the AI can make decisions independently and adapt to changing conditions without constant human intervention. AI outperforms 90% of humans on the tasks they are skilled at.

This is also the level that humans, combined with AI agents, can perform work 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.

Level 4: Innovating AI

AI systems can develop innovative ideas and solutions. This would enable AI to contribute to important inventions and scientific breakthroughs, such as helping to cure diseases. AI outperforms 99% of humans on the tasks they are skilled at.

Level 5: Organizational AI

This is the ultimate level where AI systems can perform the tasks of an entire organization and do it better than 100% of humans. This includes strategic thinking, operational efficiency and the adaptability needed to manage complex systems and achieve organizational goals.

Where does OpenAI stand in AGI development?

OpenAI itself has not explicitly defined the term AGI within this classification system. With this, it is not clear when OpenAI believes their ultimate goal of AGI has been achieved. As the levels are named, it seems that somewhere around level 4 or 5 is the case.

OpenAI has not mentioned timelines, but top executive Sam Altman regularly states that he expects Level 5 to be reached as early as 10 years. Other experts do not see that happening and rather think of a 50-year time frame. By the way, these levels correspond pretty well to the roadmap of AI developments 2024 through 2030.

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