Difference Between Strong and Weak AI

Data Science, AI and ML
#1

The term “Artificial Intelligence” is often being misused or misunderstood, but the technology is doing more good than bad. The earlier developments in the field of AI might not be relevant today, but the process has gone through significant changes over the years. Although, AI is considered one of the newest fields of intellectual research, its foundation was set thousands of years ago. But today, AI is on everyone lips and there’s a not a single day goes by without hearing about AI. Today, AI is everywhere, from automation to augmentation to beyond, it’s already revolutionizing everything.

That being said, there are two themes of thoughts in AI, namely weak AI and strong AI. The so-called personal assistants we are so fond of nowadays like Google Assistant, Siri, and Alexa are considered weak AI programs because they operate within a limited pre-defined set of functions. Then there are machines with the mind of their own which can make independent decisions without human interference. These programs could be considered strong AI. Let’s take a look at the key differences between strong AI and weak AI.

Weak AI

Weak AI, also known as narrow AI, is artificial intelligence with limited functionality. Weak AI refers to the use of advanced algorithms to accomplish specific problem solving or reasoning tasks that do not encompass the full range of human cognitive abilities. For example, the voice-based personal assistants such as Siri and Alexa could be considered weak AI programs because they operate within a limited pre-defined set of functions meaning they often have a programmed response. Weak AI is not so enthusiastic about the outcomes of AI; it is simply the view that intelligent behavior can be modeled and used by machines to solve complex problems and tasks. But just because a machine can behave intelligently does not prove that it is actually smart in a way that a human is. The best example of weak AI is Siri and Alexa, or Google Search.

Strong AI

Strong AI is a theoretical form of machine intelligence which supports the view that machines can really develop human consciousness equal to human beings. Strong AI refers to machines or programs with the mind of their own and which can think and accomplish complex tasks on their own without any human interference. Strong AI has complex algorithm that helps systems act in different situations and the strong AI-powered machines can make independent decisions without human interaction. Strong AI-powered machines can carry complex tasks on their own just like human beings do. It simply states that a computing machine with the appropriate functional organization has a mind that perceives, thinks, and intends like a human mind