1 From the Pursuit of Universal AGI Architecture to Systematic Approach to Heterogenous AGI: Addressing Alignment, Energy, & AGI Grand Challenges

AI faces a trifecta of grand challenges: the Energy Wall, the Alignment Problem and the Leap from Narrow AI to AGI. Contemporary AI solutions consume unsustainable amounts of energy during model training and daily operations. Making things worse, the amount of computation required to train each new AI model has been doubling every 2 months since 2020, directly translating to unprecedented increases in energy consumption. The leap from AI to AGI requires multiple functional subsystems operating in a balanced manner, which requires a system architecture. However, the current approach to artificial intelligence lacks system design; even though system characteristics play a key role in the human brain; from the way it processes information to how it makes decisions. System design is the key to alignment, one of the most challenging goals in AI. This difficulty stems from the fact that the complexity of human moral system requires a similarly sophisticated system for alignment. Without accurately reflecting the complexity of these core moral subsystems and systems, aligning AI with human values becomes significantly more challenging. In this paper, we posit that system design is the missing piece in overcoming the grand challenges. We present a Systematic Approach to AGI that utilizes system design principles to AGI, while providing ways to overcome the energy wall and the alignment challenges. This paper asserts that artificial intelligence can be realized through a multiplicity of design-specific pathways, rather than a singular, overarching AGI architecture. AGI systems may exhibit diverse architectural configurations and capabilities, contingent upon their intended use cases. It advocates for a focus on employing system design principles as a guiding framework, rather than solely concentrating on a universal AGI architecture.