Amelia virtual assistant brings AI close to 'near human cognitive capabilities'

The latest generation of the artificial intelligence platform Amelia is close to achieving "near human cognitive capabilities", according to its developers. Having launched less than a year ago, IPsoft now plans to continue developing the AI platform until it matches and eventually surpasses human intelligence.

Version 2.0 of Amelia was demonstrated for the first time this week at the Gartner Symposium in Orlando, Florida, featuring an updated physical appearance alongside the software updates. The animation of the latest version was remodelled on that of a real person in order to create an expressiveness that IPsoft hopes will deepen user engagement.

"Unlike any other AI I can understand, learn and solve problems like a human," Amelia said during a demonstration when asked what made it different from other AI agents.

IPsoft believed that its Amelia platform will be ready to take the Turing Test – devised to be the threshold that machine intelligence can pass itself off as human intelligence – within the next five years. While it would not be the first AI system to pass the Turing test, it would potentially be the first to achieve the feat using a cognitive learning system that mimics how the human brain operates.

Re-evaluating the relationship between man and machine

Unlike other AI assistants – such as Apple's Siri, or Microsoft's Cortana – Amelia is aimed primarily at enterprise users, offering to automate knowledge across a broad range of business functions. The latest technology developments include the inclusion of episodic memory and semantic memory, allowing it to cognitively process experiences and events in time in sequenced autobiographical form.

Emotional responsiveness has also been improved, meaning it is able to adapt its responses depending on the mood and personality of the person it is interacting with.

"In just one year we have seen Amelia 'grow up' tremendously," said Chetan Dube, CEO of IPsoft. "Just imagine how her maturity will accelerate over the next five.

"We are fast approaching the moment when technology is knocking at the Turing horizon, where machine intelligence starts to match human intelligence. Amelia will be the harbinger of that shift, inviting us to re-evaluate the relationship between man and machine in order to create a more efficient planet."