From Siri to Superintelligence: The Journey of AI

By Oluwole Akinwale, Director, Professional Services – EMEA/APAC

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the most exciting and confusing topics today. We use it daily, yet many don’t fully understand what it is or where it’s heading.

So here’s a simple, no-jargon guide to the three stages of AI:

• Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI)
• Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)
• Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI)

1. Artificial Narrow Intelligence

ANI (Artificial Narrow Intelligence) is also known as Weak AI.

You can think of this form of AI as a specialist. This is the AI we already use every day. It’s built to do one task really well — and trust me, it often does it better than the smartest of us — but that’s all it can do.

You want a few examples? Sure!

Remember that last-minute dash to your interview when you turned to Google Maps to save your soul (and your job)? That hero was Narrow Intelligence.

You know those spam emails about winning a goat in a Ugandan lottery that didn’t make it to your inbox? Thank your spam filter — also Narrow AI.

What about that Netflix series you binged for six hours straight because it popped up right after Squid Game Season 3? Yes, that sneaky matchmaker was Narrow AI too.

And ChatGPT? Not a wizard, just a very focused Narrow AI with excellent grammar and no need for sleep.

This kind of AI doesn’t understand things the way that humans do. It’s just really good at following patterns it was trained on. In other words, it’s narrow. Focused. Task-specific.

Like that one friend who can’t cook, can’t drive, but can quote every line from Lord of the Rings. That’s Narrow AI.

2. Artificial General Intelligence

AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) is also known as Strong AI.

This is where things start to get spicy. Imagine an AI that can actually think like a human, minus the coffee addiction and existential fear.

We’re not quite there yet, but it is in the works. This next-level AI won’t just be good at one thing — it could learn, reason, and adapt across anything. Like your brain … but with better memory and zero procrastination.

One minute it’s composing a song for my better half, the next it’s solving quantum physics, and right after that, it’s giving surprisingly solid breakup advice to my emotionally wrecked friend. And guess what? It doesn’t need to be reprogrammed every time it changes tasks.

Basically, it won’t complain about “context switching” like the rest of us do when juggling emails, spreadsheets, and wondering what day it is by 3 p.m.

Artificial General Intelligence: coming soon to outshine our multitasking skills.

3. Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI)

You’d think we’d be satisfied building an AI that thinks like us. But no — human curiosity said, “Hold my neural network.”

What if we made something smarter than all of us combined? Like, Einstein meets Shakespeare meets Oprah … but in machine form. That, my friend, would be ASI (Artificial Super Intelligence). It would outdo us in everything: creativity, strategy, problem-solving, even emotional intelligence (yes, your therapist might get replaced by a very empathetic toaster).

Sounds cool, right? Well, it’s still just a theory … for now. But this is exactly why the smart folks are waving flags about AI safety and ethics. Because if we build something smarter than us in every way, how do we guide it? Or worse … how do we keep up?

It’s like inventing a supercar that builds its own road, reprograms the traffic lights, and then asks you if you’d like a snack.

Why This Matters

Whether you’re in tech, business, education, ministry — or just trying to get your smart fridge to stop judging your snack choices — AI is changing the game for everyone.

Knowing the difference between the three types of AI isn’t just for geeks in hoodies. It helps you:

• Ask smarter questions
• Make better decisions
• Get ready for a future where AI shows up everywhere (yes, even in your toaster).

So let’s keep learning — and keep the conversation going.