General Artificial Intelligence (AGI) refers to machines with the ability to understand, learn, and apply knowledge across a wide range of tasks—just like a human. Unlike current AI, which excels only in specific domains (like language translation or playing chess), AGI would possess cognitive flexibility, self-awareness, and reasoning.

The path to AGI involves major challenges. Creating machines that can reason abstractly, handle uncertainty, and possess emotional intelligence is far more complex than programming a chatbot. However, advances in neural networks, reinforcement learning, and quantum computing may accelerate progress.

Ethically, AGI opens up serious debates. If machines can think like humans, do they deserve rights? What happens if AGI outpaces human intelligence? The concept of a "singularity"—where AI evolves beyond human control—is central to both optimism and fear about the future.

While we're still far from achieving true AGI, it's one of the most important frontiers in science. If done responsibly, AGI could help solve problems from climate change to disease. But if mismanaged, it might become a threat to humanity itself.