DeepMind AI is as fast as humans at solving previously unseen tasks

Artificial intelligences need specific training to excel at a task, but now a more generally intelligent one from DeepMind has performed as well as humans in a virtual world test

By Alex Wilkins

DeepMind has developed an artificial intelligence that can solve tasks it has never seen before as fast and as accurately as humans – a possible step towards generally intelligent AI that could master an array of jobs in the real world.

The AI, called Adaptive Agent or AdA, works in a 3D virtual world where it is asked to solve tasks that involve navigating, planning and manipulating objects.

Humans are excellent at solving new problems in very different environments, including ones they haven’t seen before. For instance, once …