Episode 9: Converging Minds: Who Needs AGI?

Aleksandra Przegalinska and Tamilla Triantoro started a blog “AI One on One” to discuss the advantages and limitations of current AI systems and explore the possibilities of using AI for good.

What is AGI anyway?

 Artificial General Intelligence, or AGI, is the idea of creating machines that can think and learn like humans. Unlike the AI we see today which is designed for specific tasks such as generating text, recognizing images, or driving cars, AGI would be able to perform any intellectual task a human can. It wouldn’t excel only at narrow, specialized problems, instead AGI would solve complex challenges across a wide range of domains, from understanding language to making decisions, and perhaps even possessing consciousness or emotions.

Sounds exciting, right? AGI has long been a dream of AI researchers and tech enthusiasts. It represents the possibility of machines that are not just tools but thinkers. Machines that can reason, adapt, and perhaps even innovate on their own. But, as with any grand vision, it comes with a lot of philosophical and practical challenges. And this is where we, Aleksandra Przegalinska and Tamilla Triantoro, the authors of Converging Minds, stand on the issue. Our stance: Do we really need AGI?

In Converging Minds, we explore this question in depth. While the idea of AGI has captured the imagination of many, is it the future we should pursue? Do we really need machines to think and do like humans, or should we focus on creating technologies that enhance our own capabilities instead?

We believe AI’s true potential lies in complementing, not replicating, human intelligence. Rather than aiming for machines that can take over human tasks entirely, we argue for AI systems that work alongside us - amplifying our creativity, improving our decision-making, and solving problems that are too big or complex for us alone. This approach doesn’t diminish AI’s importance; if anything, it makes the technology more practical and valuable in our lives.

In Converging Minds, we explore why the focus should shift from building humanlike intelligence to embracing collaborative AI. Current AI already drive innovation and creativity without taking over the world. Our book highlights how AI can work alongside us, amplifying what we can achieve together. We believe the real promise of AI lies in helping us do more, not replacing us.

Want to know more? Stay tuned! Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing insights, examples, and cool stuff straight from our book. Join us as we explore the world of human-AI collaboration, and why we think the future of AI is all about working together.

About the authors:

Aleksandra Przegalinska - Associate Professor and Vice-President of Kozminski University, responsible for Innovations and AI well as Senior Research Associate at the Harvard Labour and Worklife Program.  Aleksandra is the head of the Human-Machine Interaction Research Center at Kozminski University, and the Leader of the AI in Management Program. Until recently, she conducted post-doctoral research at the Center for Collective Intelligence at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston. She graduated from The New School for Social Research in New York. She is the co-author of Collaborative Society (The MIT Press), published together with Dariusz Jemielniak.

Tamilla Triantoro is an Associate Professor at Quinnipiac University. Tamilla’s expertise is in Artificial Intelligence, Human-AI Collaboration, and the Future of Work. A passionate traveler, she has visited over 100 countries, and presented her research on six continents, sharing her insights at both academic and industry events around the world. With a Ph.D. from the City University of New York, where she studied online user behavior, Tamilla brings a deep understanding of the human element to her work. Tamilla is the council member of the Human-Machine Interaction Research Center and the co-author of Converging Minds: The Creative Potential of Collaborative AI  written with Aleksandra Przegalinska.