Virginia Tech researchers aim for advanced artificial general intelligence

Researchers at Virginia Tech are working on a new approach to artificial intelligence (AI) that aims to create systems capable of thinking and reasoning like humans. They believe that achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI) requires AI to have common sense, allowing it to go beyond what it has learned from training data. Their recent study, published in the Proceedings of the IEEE Journal, suggests that future wireless technologies, especially those beyond 6G, could help develop this kind of AI. The researchers argue that AI should be able to learn from real-world experiences, similar to how humans think and interact with their environment. Current AI mainly relies on recognizing patterns in data, which limits its ability to adapt to unexpected situations. The Virginia Tech team envisions AI that can understand physical principles and predict events, moving toward systems that can make decisions like humans. Professor Walid Saad, one of the researchers, noted that realizing this vision will take time. He estimates it may take 10 to 15 years before we see a wireless network capable of AGI. However, he believes that parts of this idea can be developed today. The researchers emphasize the importance of evolving wireless networks from simple data transmitters to systems that can learn from their data. By doing so, AI could develop intuition and better decision-making abilities, working toward human-like reasoning in real-time situations.