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Advancements in Artificial Intelligence, including ANI, AGI (Artificial General Intelligence), and ASI, are moving so fast in 2023 and 2024 that it’s hard to keep up, even for a technology company. With rumours that AGI had been achieved internally due to OpenAI’s Q-star (Q*) project, predictions from figures like Jimmy Apples, and the release of OpenAI’s new ’01’ model on 12th September 2024, the future AI, the topic of AGI vs AI, and the anticipated GPT-5 AGI release, are all up for debate.

Editor’s Note [16.09.24]: Today’s update to the original June 21 2023 article revisits the future of AI, the idea of “true AI“, and the growing belief that AGI has been developed internally at OpenAI. This theory previously gained traction following a series of eerily accurate predictions from Jimmy Apples, a figure known for forecasting OpenAI’s major releases, including ChatGPT. His claims in September 2023 suggested OpenAI was delaying the public release of its groundbreaking GPT-5 AGI, which appeared to be reinforced by the news of OpenAI’s Q-star (Q*) project in November 2023. The ongoing mystery surrounding Jimmy Apples’ sudden deletion of his Twitter and Reddit accounts only added fuel to these rumours.

In this latest update, we’ll discuss the release of OpenAI’s ’01’ model on 12th September 2024, its relation to Q-Star (Q*), the prospects of GPT-5 AGI still happening, recent interactions between Sam Altman and Jimmy Apples, plus what all this means for AGI.

An overview

Before we jump into the nitty gritty of OpenAI, we’ll explore AGI, ASI (Artificial Super Intelligence), and ANI (Artificial Narrow Intelligence). We’ll also discuss the prospects of human augmentation, and how far away are we from a truly self-sufficient Artificial General Intelligence.

We’ll consider intriguing questions such as “What is true AI?”,  “What does the future of AI hold”, and debate the concepts of AI vs AGI vs ASI, all while exploring the progressive steps from OpenAI’s ChatGPT to GPT-4, GPT-5 AGI, and now the “o1” model reset codenamed “Strawberry”.

Will we witness AGI in the very near future or is AGI possible right now with model “o1”?

Everything is up for debate, so let’s jump in and discuss the exciting world of Artificial Intelligence, its future, and the unprecedented changes that lie ahead.

What is AI (Artificial Intelligence)?

We’ll start with the most fundamental question, “What is AI?”.

AI is a broad term that can be used to describe a set of automated tasks that can be carried out by computer software. These tasks are created and designed by humans, and then completed by the software that has also been coded and designed by humans.

With popular tools such as ChatGPT, we are beginning to see the very start of systems that can adapt and ‘learn’ in order to increase efficiency and accuracy. This is sometimes referred to as Machine Learning.

However, even though we use the word ‘learn’ here, it should be thought of as a different type of learning than what a human is capable of. Learning within this context entails a set of software systems analysing patterns in datasets, and performing changes based on the system’s findings.

There are multiple terms that can be used to describe most of what we have in use today (such as weak AI or ANI). This is what voice assistants fall under in terms of AI categorisation.

What is ANI (Artificial Narrow Intelligence)? 

Essentially, Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI), or weak AI, refers to the majority of “AI” systems we use today.

This form of AI operates under a limited set of constraints, excelling in single tasks within a pre-defined, narrow area, such as voice recognition, recommendation systems, image recognition, or driving a car. ANI works according to specifically programmed algorithms or learned behaviour from data, but it does not possess consciousness, real understanding, or any kind of autonomous decision-making capability.

ANI systems are capable of “learning” to improve their performance over time, but only within the specific task they’ve been trained on. For example, a chess-playing AI can become increasingly proficient at the game but can’t leverage that knowledge to play a different game like poker.

Despite its limitations, ANI is currently the most widely deployed type of AI, making significant impacts in various industries, including healthcare, finance, and automotive.

Examples include personal voice assistants like Siri or Alexa, spam filters in your email system, customer support chatbots, self-driving cars, and of course ChatGPT, which we will come on to shortly.

What is AGI (Artificial General Intelligence)?

Artificial General Intelligence, also known as strong AI, is something that you will likely start to hear about more in the coming months and years.

AGI is the ‘holy grail’ of artificial intelligence and is considered by most to be ‘true AI’, as this is more in line with what sci-fi movies and novels envision complex AI to become. In fact, it’s a very popular misconception that the AI systems we have in use today are actually AGI.

However, unlike ANI, which is designed and excels at a specific task, AGI systems will be able to learn, think and adapt, and implement knowledge across a broad range of tasks at the same level as a human. They will be able to process incredible amounts of data instantly and display a kind of cognitive flexibility that is the hallmark of human intelligence.

There is no doubt that there will eventually be ethical questions raised in regards to AGI machines in the future, and what rights (if any) they should have.

For example, if AGI machines and systems are able to process information in the same way humans can, does that give these systems the ability to reason and feel emotion? It’s an interesting question to think about in addition to considering the intellectual capability and raw processing potential of such systems.

What about OpenAI and ChatGPT?

Before we continue, it’s important to keep in mind the different types of AI discussed above. It’s easy to get mixed up when thinking about the definitions and actual capabilities of AI and AGI. The rise of ChatGPT is no exception when it comes to this.

Is ChatGPT AGI?

The quick answer is, no.

The popular and remarkable ChatGPT tool has spurred renewed interest in AI and caused a kind of “AI race” between players such as OpenAI with its ChatGPT and Google with Bard. We even have other players in the race such as Meta’s open source LLaMA model.

So, why do people believe ChatGPT is AGI rather than AI (or ANI to be precise)? Well, AGI is described as a form of AI that can learn, plan, solve problems, and come up with creative solutions. This is all true and it’s also true that tools like ChatGPT can accomplish similar tasks. The key difference is that AGI will be able to carry out multiple varied tasks without human intervention. It will be able to act autonomously and perform intellectual tasks that currently only humans can do.

Despite not being AGI, the importance of ChatGPT and its role in AI should not be underplayed. For all of the reasons mentioned above, we recently produced the below article explaining why we believe ChatGPT is an AI inflection point and likely to bring about change that surpasses that of even the internet.

ChatGPT: A 2023 Tipping Point To Rival the Internet in 1983, but is OpenAI’s ‘o1’ Model the Largest AI Inflection Point Yet ? [UPDATED]

Is GPT-4 AGI?

Again, the short answer is, no.

Although GPT-4 is incredibly impressive, especially with web browsing capabilities and plugins that can perform interesting tasks, it still falls under the definition of ANI and not AGI.

Microsoft’s researchers have recently claimed that such systems are showing ‘sparks of AGI’, but many believe we are still quite a way away from having an AI system that meets the definition of Artificial General Intelligence.

Although GPT-4 has the ability to identify patterns and provide answers with a human-like persona, it is effectively grabbing and piecing together existing content and information on the internet rather than constructing it itself via reasoning and understanding.

That is one of the key differentiators between AI and AGI — the way the information is created and served to the user.

GPT-4 still operates within strictly human-defined parameters.

What is true AI? The key differences between AI and AGI

Let’s continue to break down these AI definitions and see what sets conventional artificial intelligence apart from AGI (or true AI).

With such a complex subject matter, we thought it would be useful to have a side-by-side view of the key differences between AI and AGI to help differentiate the two visually.

What are the key differences between AI and AGI	AI (Artificial Intelligence)	AGI (Artificial General Intelligence)
Execution of tasks	General AI is great at performing single-purpose tasks. Can sometimes be quite limited. Can be programmed to learn from data, and even adapt.	AGI is similar to how we think of human intelligence. It is capable of understanding and can perform any task a human can in theory.
Examples of each	Current examples of AI include Google Bard, Apple’s Siri, Amazon Alexa, ChatGPT.	No systems explicitly claim to be AGI at present. They are thought to be a number of years away.
Versatility	AI typically has a very specific task to accomplish and operates within the confines of a human-defined objective.	Fully adaptable and can learn to improve or become more efficient at tasks. Even finding better ways to do said task.
AI learning	General AI uses Machine Learning and training algorithms in order to improve and become better at set tasks.	Can learn and improve becoming more capable and efficient.
Human input requirements	AI operates within human-defined constraints, requires oversight, and also additional human inputs in order to serve requests.	AGI can make choices and decisions without the need for human input.
Creativity	Can output based on human-defined rules, can identify patterns and output in semi-unique ways. Can be thought of as recycled ‘creativity’.	Capable of human-like creativity and unique ideas. Can process ideas and complex data as effectively, or better than, a human.
Understanding	Typically reliant on programming and human instructions.	Can understand nuanced data as well as consider a spectrum of variables. Contextual understanding.

As you can see, AGI will be a very powerful system with huge potential, but it also poses a huge risk according to many analysts and technology experts.

We can expect the lines to blur in the coming years between AI and AGI as systems become more sophisticated, requiring less and less human intervention and oversight.

Elon Musk has recently sounded the alarm about the dangers of AI, and others have gone as far as to say it could trigger an eventual extinction event.

Even though such concerns are regarded as premature and extreme by some, it’s better to be cautious in these types of areas. A ‘runaway snowball effect’ is easy to envision with intelligent systems that can exponentially improve and iterate in no time at all without the need for human intervention.

It is important to remember that despite the risks, AI and AGI have the potential to do a lot of good. Recently it was announced that scientists have used AI to help discover new antibiotics that help treat superbugs. It is exciting to think about what other breakthroughs can be made possible in the healthcare sector as a result of AI.

No need to worry about the philosophical, societal or economic implications of AGI just yet — we’re still a ways away from having such systems that are fully capable of being thought of as true AGI. For now, the focus is likely to remain on using Chatbot AI tools like ChatGPT to save you time, money, and assist with creative endeavours.

AGI vs AI vs ASI: A recap of the main differences

Although we’ve covered these individually, it’s useful to consider the full range of AI concepts together.

While these terms are often used interchangeably, they represent very distinct stages in AI evolution.

• ANI (Artificial Narrow Intelligence), or what we commonly refer to as AI, refers to systems designed for a narrow range of tasks. ChatGPT, voice assistants like Siri, or recommendation engines fall into this category. They perform specific tasks but lack the ability to generalise knowledge across multiple domains.
• AGI (Artificial General Intelligence), refers to systems that can perform any intellectual task that a human can. AGI systems would not just follow preset algorithms or learned data; they could autonomously learn, reason, and apply knowledge across various fields, much like humans.
• ASI (Artificial Super Intelligence) represents the next, and more speculative, leap in AI development. ASI would far surpass human intelligence, performing tasks not only faster but with a level of creativity, reasoning, and emotional intelligence beyond human capabilities.

The debate around AI vs AGI vs ASI isn’t just theoretical—it’s central to the future of technology, ethics, and even human survival.

Understanding the differences between these stages and where we are right now is at the core of what we are discussing today.

With figures like Jimmy Apples claiming that AGI has been achieved internally at OpenAI, rumours of a GPT-5 AGI, reports surrounding Q-star (Q*) and the release of OpenAI’s new “o1” model, it’s clear now is the time to evaluate how close we are to AGI and whether it’s actually here.

Does true AI, AGI or GPT-5 AGI exist anywhere right now?

While there are ongoing discussions and developments in the field with companies like Google’s DeepMind suggesting that AGI could be just a few years away, the question of “what is AGI?” and whether it currently exists is still up for debate.

AGI in 2023

Back in 2023, it was widely believed that GPT-5 AGI would be possible, but mysterious claims from Jimmy Apples added fuel to this discussion, speculating that AGI might already be a reality, at least internally at OpenA. We also had exciting advanced AI applications being developed like AutoGPT and BabyAGI, which brought us much closer to the idea of AGI.

The enigma of Jimmy Apples

Jimmy Apples became a focal point in the discussion of AGI due to his series of accurate predictions about OpenAI’s projects.

His sudden disappearance from social media platforms after sharing an image has only intensified the speculation. Many believe that his actions indicate that AGI has been achieved internally and is being kept under wraps for now.

Some believe he is a sort of informant or whistleblower, while others think it could be an elaborate publicity gimmick by OpenAI’s marketing team.

Key events and predictions in “AGI Has Been Achieved Internally? story and Jimmy Apples claims

If you don’t fancy watching this interesting video from @AIAdaExplains, here’s the breakdown:

• September 18: Jimmy Apples tweets “AI has been achieved internally.” The tweet goes largely unnoticed.
• Reddit Investigation: A group of Reddit users familiar with Jimmy’s accurate past predictions about OpenAI decided to investigate further. They find evidence supporting his credibility.
• Viral Attention: After gaining viral attention, Jimmy Apples posts an image that fuels speculation. He then deletes his Twitter and Reddit accounts, leading many to believe he revealed too much.
• March 4 & 14: Jimmy predicts the announcement date for GPT-4, which turns out to be accurate. This defies even specialized prediction platforms.
• April 28: Jimmy predicts a new OpenAI project called GOI. The prediction is confirmed on September 19, 2023.
• September 10: Jimmy tweets about “Chat GPT plus referrals coming soon.” This is later confirmed to be accurate.
• OpenAI Employee Behavior: Reddit users notice unusual tweets from OpenAI employees, adding another layer to the speculation around AGI and GPT-5.
• Other Predictions: Jimmy has made other predictions, such as a 1-2 trillion text model-only version of GPT-4 releasing soon, which also turned out to be accurate.
• Sam Altman’s Involvement: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman breaks his 7-year Reddit silence to vaguely deny the accusations but adds fuel to the fire with cryptic tweets.
• Theories about Jimmy: Various theories emerge about who Jimmy might be, ranging from a scam artist to a legitimate insider at OpenAI.
• Unresolved Questions: Despite the intense scrutiny, the true identity of Jimmy Apples and the veracity of his claims about AGI and GPT-5 remained unresolved.

On the one hand, we could see OpenAI’s Sam Altman discussing AGI as a potential co-worker replacement and claiming on Reddit that:

“AGI has been achieved internally”

but then he claims:

“Obviously this is just memeing, y’all have no chill, when AGI is achieved it will not be announced with a Reddit comment.”

– Source: https://www.independent.co.uk

This captivating tale of Jimmy Apples and Sam Altman’s comments raised some important questions about the future of AI, the possibility of AGI, and the role of GPT-5 AGI in this unfolding narrative.

For more on this fascinating subject, visit the article below on the history and future of OpenAI:

AutoGPT: A step forward, but not AGI

AutoGPT is described as one of the first examples of GPT-4 running fully autonomously, pushing the boundaries of what is possible with AI. While this is a significant advancement, being autonomous doesn’t necessarily mean it possesses the broad, human-like intelligence that defines AGI.

BabyAGI: Close but not quite

BabyAGI is referred to as an autonomous AGI agent leveraging cutting-edge technologies. Despite these claims, it’s primarily described as an AI-powered task management system, which suggests it’s designed for specific tasks rather than exhibiting broad, human-like intelligence.

While there are significant advancements in the field of AI, definitive evidence for the existence of true AGI or GPT-5 AGI is still lacking. The mysterious actions and predictions by Jimmy Apples have reignited the debate, making the future of AI and the role of GPT-5 in AGI a subject to watch closely.

Q-star (Q*)

One of the most significant developments in 2023 was the quiet but impactful announcement of Q-Star (Q*), a mysterious project rumoured to be a major step toward AGI. While details about Q-Star were sparse, it was believed to focus on solving foundational challenges in AI, particularly in reasoning and problem-solving, areas crucial for achieving AGI. Some speculated that Q-Star could be the key to AGI’s internal development at OpenAI.

AGI in 2024

Following on from the adventures of Jimmy Apples and Q-star in 2023, things appeared to go relatively quiet in the first half of 2024.

Then very recently, OpenAI announced its new o1 models, which focus on enhanced reasoning for complex tasks in science, coding, and math, with two versions—o1-preview (larger, broader knowledge) and o1-mini (faster, optimised for coding)—and available for ChatGPT Plus users.

The most intriguing parts of this announcement were the “more time thinking before they respond” and “reason through complex tasks and solve harder problems” comments.

There’s no explicit mention of AGI but it sounded an awful lot like AGI and again raises the question—has AGI already arrived, or is it just around the corner?

Has AGI been achieved internally at OpenAI?

One of the most debated topics in the world of AI today is whether AGI has been achieved internally at OpenAI.

Jimmy Apples made many accurate predictions regarding OpenAI and ChatGPT—most notably, that AGI has been achieved internally at OpenAI. His predictions about GPT-4 and its features were startlingly precise, including the introduction of web browsing and Advanced Data Analysis. But it’s his claims regarding GPT-5 AGI that captured the most attention.

According to Jimmy, AGI was already a reality within OpenAI back in 2023, but the company was deliberately holding back its public release for undisclosed reasons.

Adding to the intrigue, Jimmy Apples abruptly deleted his Twitter and Reddit accounts after making these bold statements. Many speculated that he may have revealed too much, and his disappearance only fueled rumours about AGI’s existence. Whether Jimmy Apples is an insider with privileged information or a clever hoaxer, his impact on the conversation around AGI and GPT-5 cannot be ignored.

Reports of Q-star only a couple of months after Jimmy’s comments added even more ammunition to the claims that AGI existed at OpenAI. Many of us believed this would eventually reveal itself as a GPT-5 AGI model, but it now seems more likely that the “o1” model will take its place.

Is OpenAI’s ‘o1’ model AGI?

The release of OpenAI’s “o1” model in September 2024 has been a relatively quiet but very important one.

OpenAI’s decision to reset the naming scheme to “o1” marks more than just a rebranding—it signals a fundamental shift in AI development. Unlike previous iterations like GPT-3 and GPT-4, which focused on scaling model size, the “o1” model represents a leap in reasoning and cognitive depth.

This reset highlights a new chapter for OpenAI, where the emphasis is on making the model smarter, not just larger. The shift away from the GPT-x naming convention also highlights the significance of these advancements, positioning “o1” as a groundbreaking step forward in AI’s evolution.

But is the “o1” model itself AGI, or merely a stepping stone?

The “o1” model boasts impressive advancements, including a new focus on Chain of Thought reasoning, where the system takes time to “think” through complex problems. This feature is a marked improvement over previous models like GPT-4, which were largely limited to single-pass responses without deep reasoning.

We see the early signs of systems that can reflect on their answers, evaluate mistakes, and refine strategies much like a human would. Unlike traditional models that stop learning after training, the “o1” model introduces Reinforcement Learning at Inference Time meaning it can adjust its approach in real-time. This capability allows the model to think and adapt as it solves problems, significantly enhancing its reasoning and output quality.

On advanced academic benchmarks, the “o1” model achieved PhD-Level Benchmark Performance vastly outperforming its predecessors, achieving 83% on international-level math problems and placing in the 89th percentile in coding competitions. These results highlight the staggering gap between GPT-4 and “o1”, particularly in tasks requiring deep reasoning and advanced knowledge.

While the “o1” model pushes AI closer to AGI, it still falls short of the full spectrum of human-like intelligence that defines AGI. This would require the ability to generalise across all fields and perform a wide range of intellectual tasks autonomously, which the “o1” model—though impressive—cannot yet fully achieve.

All that said, it’s strange though how only days before the “o1” model announcement, Jimmy Apples came out with below:

This week I take a small step out of the cave of patience https://t.co/U1z3gmTJhY

— Jimmy Apples 🍎/acc (@apples_jimmy) September 10, 2024

With the dialogue below happening on the 12th September, the day “o1” was publically announced:

Regardless of what’s really happening here, OpenAI seems to be laying the groundwork for AGI very soon, with the “o1” model acting as a bridge to more advanced capabilities.

GPT-5 AGI – is this now dead?

GPT-5 was at the centre of various reports claiming it would achieve AGI status. However, there were also conflicting reports suggesting that OpenAI was not actively working on GPT-5 due to safety concerns.

As the AI community were eagerly awaiting the arrival of GPT-5 and insiders like Jimmy Apples claiming that GPT-5 AGI may already exist internally at OpenAI, it now seems that the new “o1” model is set to replace GPT-5, while some believe it might serve as an intermediate model, gradually preparing the world for the monumental capabilities of GPT-5 AGI.

Either way, “o1” provides more advanced reasoning and problem-solving abilities, pushing the boundaries of what AI can do right now. While it remains unclear when or if GPT-5 AGI or “o2” AGI will be publicly released, its potential to redefine the way we work makes it one of the most highly anticipated advancements in tech today.

How to get the most out of GPT-4 now with ChatGPT, and unlock its full potential

To get the most out of GPT-4, you will need to know how to word and phrase your inputs to get the expected outcome. These inputs are what’s known as prompts and there is a whole field of study around this called prompt engineering. You’ll also need access to ChatGPT-4 through ChatGPT Plus.

Choosing the right prompts can dramatically improve the results you are able to get from ChatGPT-4, saving time, and improving the overall quality.

Here are some incredibly useful examples describing how users are using prompts for ChatGPT-4 currently:

• Plagiarism checking
• Language translation
• Writing assistant (for authors or content creators)
• Brainstorming
• Creative design assistant
• Marketing assistance
• Data analysis
• Code evaluation and writing
• See the full list here – https://github.com/f/awesome-chatgpt-prompts

With the introduction of new use cases, prompts, bots and plugins, the list goes on and GPT-4 is quickly becoming the go-to tool for a wide range of professionals spanning multiple industries and sectors.

We have written a guide on how to use Chat GPT-4 prompts for marketing, which is a good read if you are looking to utilise GPT-4 for any kind of marketing!

It’s important to realise that ChatGPT-4 is more than just a chatbot that can answer prompts. It becomes even more powerful when using web browsing and plugins for accessing real-time results and undertaking specific functions like SEO, financial analysis, and much more.

Web browsing

To unlock the full potential of ChatGPT-4, web browsing capabilities are essential. Imagine the future of AI where ChatGPT can browse the web to gather the latest data and analyse the data with real AGI capabilities to provide actionable insights or automated workflows instantly.

This browse feature is a stepping stone in allowing AI to access real-time information from the internet, making it invaluable for tasks like market research, competitive analysis, news analysis, and fact-checking.

Initially made available through ChatGPT’s Browse with Bing, native web browsing was temporarily removed. At the time of writing this update, the feature is now available again to ChatGPT Plus users using the ChatGPT 4o model but not the o1-preview or o1-mini models.

ChatGPT plugins (now Custom GPTs)

In 2023, plugins were another avenue to enhance ChatGPT’s capabilities. These add-ons can perform specialised tasks for a massive range of applications. For instance, a plugin could analyse your website’s SEO performance and suggest improvements, or another could assist in creating financial forecasts for your business. Probably one of the most common applications is web browsing, with plugins like BrowserPilot and WebPilot offering an alternative to Browse with Bing.

As of November 2023 and into 2024, ChatGPT plugins were gradually phased out in favour of Custom GPTs, which offer a more personalised and flexible experience.

Unlike plugins, Custom GPTs allow users to easily create AI models tailored specifically to their needs, offering a higher level of customisation and control compared to the publically available plugins, ultimately making them more versatile for both personal and business applications.

Advanced Data Analysis (formerly Code Interpreter)

The future of AI is especially exciting when we can see how powerful ChatGPT-4 is in its current form using Advanced Data Analysis (formally Code Interpreter).

Imagine a plugin that can not only understand but also write and evaluate programming code. This would be a game-changer for developers, data scientists, and analysts. Well, this is what Code Interpreter could do, and very effectively too. So much so that many developers are already using it to speed up their coding workflows.

Powered by GPT-4, Code Interpreter could do so much more than coding, which is the main reason why it was rebranded to Advanced Data Analysis. With its wide range of Python libraries, ability to upload multiple files, and provide answers based on natural language prompts, there’s not much it can’t do.

For example, some popular use cases right now are:

1. Data extraction from PDFs: Read and analyse data from a PDF document.
2. Text parsing: Uses Python’s regular expressions (regex) to match and extract details, illustrating its ability to handle complex string manipulations.
3. Data aggregation: Correctly aggregating data from a range of different sources and even document types.
4. Real-time data analysis: Assist in real-time data analysis, automating repetitive tasks.
5. Educational support: Help in learning and teaching programming.
6. Debugging: Debug code and handle complex errors.
7. Mathematical calculations: Perform complex math operations.
8. Data insights: Analyse raw business data and output reports and insights.
9. Charts: Create charts and graphs using structured and unstructured data
10. Code testing: Run and test code in a sandbox, firewalled environment.
11. Natural Language Processing: Coding using natural language, allowing even non-programmers to harness the power of code.
12. Code experimentation: A quick and easy way to experiment with code snippets

If the above list wasn’t impressive enough, we’ve recently written about how Screaming Frog’s SEO Spider tool and Advanced Data Analysis can be used to scrape entire websites into Excel form and even convert bulk Excel entries to individual Word documents using ChatGPT-4 to provide detailed recommendations and analysis.

Remember, the key to leveraging these advanced features of ChatGPT-4 is prompt engineering. The better you phrase your prompts, the more accurate and useful the AI’s responses will be. Albeit not AGI, with the right prompts and plugins, ChatGPT-4 is a powerful and indispensable asset for any business.

Artificial intelligence in 2024 and 2025 — the next 12 months

2023 and 2024 have been fantastic years for OpenAI with its release of ChatGPT. In addition to the success of ChatGPT, OpenAI’s image generator tool called DALL-E has become a huge success too, along with other tools like Midjourney and Stable Diffusion.

But what about the remainder of 2024 and 2025?

The release of OpenAI’s “o1” model marks another inflection point for AI, with the conversation shifting away from scaling models like GPT-4 toward the deeper cognitive abilities that “o1” represents. As we look ahead to 2025, AI’s rapid evolution suggests we may be on the cusp of even greater breakthroughs. AI is poised to transform a range of industries—from healthcare and education to finance and manufacturing. The next 12 months will likely see AI become more autonomous, versatile, and capable than ever before.

Surpassing 1 million users in just 5 days, ChatGPT holds the record for the fastest-growing platform in history. With a platform that grows so fast, it’s inevitable to question where do we go from here, and what does the future of AI look like 12 months from now?

Here are some predictions for 2024-2025 based on current developments and the latest trends in AI:

10 positive predictions

1. Widespread adoption of “o1” models: Expect to see the “o1-preview” and “o1-mini” models rolled out across more sectors, pushing the boundaries of reasoning in fields like coding, complex math, and science.
2. Custom GPTs become the new norm: Custom GPTs will dominate, allowing businesses and individuals to create AI models tailored specifically to their needs, increasing productivity and operational efficiency, while we will also see plugins for WordPress, AI content creators, and other external platforms using OpenAI’s APIs.
3. Open-source AI takes centre stage: As projects like Meta’s LLaMA gain traction, the open-source AI movement will accelerate, giving smaller companies and individual developers more power to build sophisticated AI models.
4. AI becomes a key player in healthcare diagnostics: The enhanced reasoning capabilities of models like “o1” could be applied to diagnostics, drug discovery, and even personalised treatment plans.
5. Augmented reality (AR) and AI merge: Expect further integration of AI with AR and VR, especially in consumer products like Meta’s new Ray-Ban smart glasses and Apple’s Vision Pro, offering more immersive, AI-powered experiences.
6. AI-driven automation in eCommerce: Look for more advanced AI solutions in inventory management, personalised shopping experiences, and logistics, as companies adopt AI to streamline operations.
7. The evolution of AI search engines: The rivalry between Google and Microsoft will heat up, with Bard and Bing competing to dominate AI-powered search and offering smarter, more accurate responses.
8. Advanced AI in financial markets: AI models like “o1” could be used to navigate complex financial markets, offering predictive insights that go beyond traditional data analysis, leading to new fintech applications.
9. The rise of AI-driven decision-making: In businesses, AI will increasingly be relied upon for complex decision-making processes, shifting from task-based automation to strategic leadership roles.
10. Potentially “o2” AGI or GPT-5 AGI: As models like “o1” push reasoning and learning capabilities forward, public anticipation for AGI will continue to build, possibly with new revelations or breakthroughs in 2025.

4 not so positive predictions

While AI has immense potential, there are concerns and challenges we may face in the near future:

1. AI-generated misinformation: As models like “o1” become more sophisticated, expect more AI-generated content to blur the lines between fact and fiction, making it harder to detect false information.
2. Educational challenges with AI: With students increasingly turning to AI tools like ChatGPT for homework and essay writing, traditional education methods will face disruption, leading to ethical and academic integrity concerns.
3. AI’s impact on democracy: The 2024 election cycle will likely witness new forms of AI-driven misinformation campaigns, sparking calls for stricter AI governance.
4. Greater AI regulation and compliance: As AI becomes more ingrained in society, governments will begin to impose stricter regulations around its use, especially in sectors like healthcare, finance, and cybersecurity.

Artificial Intelligence Beyond 2025

AI has evolved at a blistering pace in the last 12 months, but where do we go from here? The future of AI could be defined by deeper integration into our daily lives, ethical challenges, and the growing influence of AGI.

As we move beyond 2025, the following areas will likely dominate the AI landscape:

AGI and eventual human augmentation

As surreal as it sounds, we aren’t lightyears away from human-AI augmentation. With the likes of Neuralink – Elon Musk’s brain-interface project – combined with breakthroughs in the AGI space, it won’t be long until we can augment and enhance our cognitive abilities via artificial systems.

Neuralink currently focuses on trying to treat patients that have issues with communication by placing an implant inside, or on, the brain. Early tests have been looking promising and the company has been approved to start human trials recently.

It is easy to imagine a time when Neuralink can be inserted into the skull in order to enhance human capability rather than being used to fix cognitive or communication problems.

More capable robots and AI hardware

We have seen the Japanese robots that exist in some hotels (although they are currently controlled by humans). However, we are starting to see hotels appearing such as Henn na Hotel Asakusabashi where robots and AI play a key role in running the business and serving guests.

I Spent a Night at World’s First Robot Hotel in Tokyo Japan

Despite still being a gimmick with some utility and functionality, we can expect to see a more comprehensive implementation of robots in the coming years where robots are able to operate with complete autonomy.

ASI – What about Artificial Super Intelligence?

If things weren’t confusing enough with terms like ANI and AGI being used to describe AI, we thought we would throw another one out there – ASI (Artificial Super Intelligence).

ASI refers to a level of artificial intelligence that surpasses human intelligence in virtually all economically valuable work. This not only includes intellectual capabilities, but also the potential to exceed human ability in areas of emotional intelligence, decision-making, and creativity.

Essentially, ASI would outperform the best human brains in practically every field, including scientific creativity, general wisdom, and social skills.

In contrast with AGI, which is comparable to human intelligence and can carry out human-level tasks, ASI goes a step further. An ASI system wouldn’t just replicate human decision-making; it would be capable of making decisions that humans haven’t even considered.

Right now, ASI is purely hypothetical and highly speculative. However with the rate of innovation and change taking place currently within the field of AI, we can easily see a future where ASI is possible possibly even not more than 10 years away.

The future of AI: final thoughts

The future of AI holds immense promise, but it’s not without its challenges.

Terms like ANI, AGI, and ASI often cause confusion, but it’s important to distinguish between these different stages of AI development. As we look to 2025 and beyond, the question of “what is AGI?” becomes more pressing, especially as OpenAI’s “o1” model pushes the boundaries of reasoning and problem-solving.

For a simple explanation of what is AI and how does ChatGPT work, please feel free to check out our article below which explains this complex subject as a children’s story:

How Does ChatGPT Work in Story Form: The Adventures of ChatGPT “The AI Storyteller”

 

While models like ChatGPT and GPT-4 are incredibly powerful, they are still limited in scope compared to true AGI. However, with recent advancements like “o1”, the gap between AI and AGI is closing. Whether “o2”, GPT-5 or another model delivers AGI, we are on the brink of witnessing AI systems that can think, learn, and act autonomously across a broad range of tasks.

The debate about whether AGI already exists, fuelled by figures like Jimmy Apples, continues to captivate the world.

We initially predicted that it probably already is behind the scenes, but when or even whether an AGI version gets released is up for debate.

In 2023, we predicted that we would see GPT-5 in 2024 and that AGI was probably ready behind the scenes but there was also speculation that GPT-5 would be delayed, mainly in response to regulation concerns. Instead of GPT-5 AGI, we got a near-AGI “o1” model. Although no concrete evidence has been released about AGI, the future seems closer than ever.

For us to achieve “true AI”, we need AGI. It’s fascinating that right now with models like “o1” and tools like AutoGPT and BabyAGI it feels like we’ve already achieved this. However, true AI or AGI can only be defined as a system that operates autonomously across a broad range of tasks. This seemingly minor detail means we’re not quite there yet.

Ultimately, the future of AI will depend on how we navigate the changes, benefits and risks introduced by companies like OpenAI. Will AI serve as a powerful tool for good, or are we heading toward an era of unprecedented challenges? As 2025 approaches, the answers to these questions will shape the next phase of human history.

What do you think about the future of AI? Is it a force for good or bad? Is AGI already here, waiting to be unveiled, or will it take years before we see its full potential? Please let us know in the comments section below or on social media.