Once upon a time, Leo Tolstoy said, “Our body is a machine for living”. Interestingly experts have added the element of ‘empathy’ in machines with artificial general intelligence (AGI). Experts believe AGI combines technologies such as deep learning, neural networks, and natural language processing (NLP), among others, to mimic human-like thinking. Unlike narrow AI, which is good at specific tasks, AGI aims for a broad understanding and has the potential to self-teach as humans. The prospect of machines attaining human-like intelligence can improve sectors such as mental health care and creativity, among others. “AGI can potentially revolutionise psychological care by augmenting diagnosis, personalised treatment, and therapy delivery. Moreover, in creative domains, AGI can foster collaboration, ideation, and content generation, empowering artists and creators with novel tools and insights,” Sangeet Kumar, co-founder and CEO, Addverb, a warehouse automation robotics company, told FE-TransformX, adding that whether AGI will be a boon or a bane hinge on its ethical governance, societal integration and alignment with human values, among others.
The ‘empathetic’ market
The global generative AI (Gen AI) market is expected to reach a value of $109.37 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 35.6% between 2023 to 2030, as per insights from Business Wire, a market research platform. The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning, added to the rise of creative applications and content creation, are expected to contribute to these numbers. “Models such as the GPT series, can analyse data, create content, and support decision-making across sectors such as healthcare, finance, and marketing. They have the potential to revolutionise communication, knowledge dissemination and automation, fostering productivity and innovation,” Ritu Mehrotra, founder and CEO, United We Care, a generative AI-based mental health care platform, explained. This is expected to lead to the rise of large language models (LLMs) driven by AGI. can transform industries.
Empathy by machines!
On the positive side, AGI can enhance efficiency, accuracy, and productivity across all sectors. Among these, healthcare stands out as a sector poised to benefit greatly from AGI, revolutionising patient care, medical research, and treatment outcomes, among others. For example imagine an AI-powered heart surgeon who has achieved precision in heart surgeries, with the potential to replicate its expertise across various medical procedures. The widespread availability of such advanced machines can revolutionise healthcare, making better medical services accessible to a broader population. “The intelligence behind AGI includes self-teaching capabilities, enabling it to fulfil requests and exhibit emergent behaviour, impacting industries by potentially outperforming humans in various tasks and displaying both informational and emotional intelligence,” Vinayak Shrivastav, co-founder and CEO, VideoVerse, an AI Powered video solutions company, highlighted.
The Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) market size was $2.17 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach $27.49 billion by the end of 2030 growing at a CAGR of 37.7% during the forecast period 2023-2030, as per insights from Verified Market Reports, a market research firm. Industry experts believe that whether AGI is perceived as a bane or a boon, its inevitability remains unchanged. Reportedly, World Health Organisation’s study on Europe revealed that the regional digital health action plan for the WHO European Region 2023–2030”, launched in September 2022, also recognises the need for innovation in predictive analytics for better health through big data and AI.
Critics argue that concerns can arise regarding the negative impacts of AGI, particularly its potential to disrupt human emotions through the use of deepfake AI. It is believed that ‘empathetic’ machines might be used for emotional blackmailing, using users’ sensitive data for fraudulent activities. Other examples include AI-based romantic chatbots using AGI, which are expected to create cryptocurrency scams. Furthermore, “The ethical use of AGI should be a paramount concern. Establishing a centralised agency on a global scale to regulate and ensure the ethical deployment of AI technologies is needed. Without proper governance, AGI could pose risks to human existence, underscoring the importance of proactive measures to mitigate potential adverse,” Ajay Setia, CEO and founder, Invincible Meta.ai, a SaaS-based metaverse platform, concluded.
