This article systematically analyzes the problem of defining “artificial intelligence.” It starts by pointing out that a definition influences the path of the research, then establishes four criteria of a good working definition of a notion: being similar to its common usage, drawing a sharp boundary, leading to fruitful research, and as simple as possible. According to these criteria, the representative definitions in the field are analyzed. A new definition is proposed, according to it intelligence means “adaptation with insufficient knowledge and resources.” The implications of this definition are discussed, and it is compared with the other definitions. It is claimed that this definition sheds light on the solution of many existing problems and sets a sound foundation for the field.

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In discussions on the limitations of Artificial Intelligence (AI), there are three major misconceptions, identifying an AI system with an axiomatic system, a Turing machine, or a system with a model-theoretic semantics. Though these three notions can be used to describe a computer system for certain purposes, they are not always the proper theoretical notions when an AI system is under consideration. These misconceptions are not only the basis of many criticisms of AI from the outside, but also responsible for many problems within AI research. This paper analyses these misconceptions, and points out the common root of them: treating empirical reasoning as mathematical reasoning. Finally, an example intelligent system called NARS is introduced, which is neither an axiomatic system nor a Turing machine in its problem-solving process, and does not use model-theoretic semantics, but is still implementable in an ordinary computer.

This article describes and discusses the self-related mechanisms of a general-purpose intelligent system, NARS. This system is designed to be adaptive and to work with insufficient knowledge and resources. The system’s various cognitive functions are uniformly carried out by a central reasoning-learning process following a “non-axiomatic” logic. This logic captures the regularities of human empirical reasoning, where all beliefs are revisable according to evidence, and the meaning of concepts are grounded in the system’s experience. NARS perceives its internal environment basically in the same way as how it perceives its external environment although the sensors involved are completely different. Consequently, its self-knowledge is mostly acquired and constructive, while being incomplete and subjective. Similarly, self-control in NARS is realized using mental operations, which supplement and adjust the automatic inference control routine. It is argued that a general-purpose intelligent system needs the notion of a “self,” and the related knowledge and functions are developed gradually according to the system’s experience. Such a mechanism has been implemented in NARS in a preliminary form.

In the current discussions about “artificial intelligence” (AI) and “singularity”, both labels are used with several very different senses, and the confusion among these senses is the root of many disagreements. Similarly, although “artificial general intelligence” (AGI) has become a widely used term in the related discussions, many people are not really familiar with this research, including its aim and status. We analyze these notions, and introduce the results of our own AGI research. Our main conclusions are that: (1) it is possible to build a computer system that follows the same laws of thought and shows similar properties as the human mind, but, since such an AGI will have neither a human body nor human experience, it will not behave exactly like a human, nor will it be “smarter than a human” on all tasks; and (2) since the development of an AGI requires a reasonably good understanding of the general mechanism of intelligence, the system’s behaviors will still be understandable and predictable in principle. Therefore, the success of AGI will not necessarily lead to a singularity beyond which the future becomes completely incomprehensible and uncontrollable.