What are the Limitations of AI?

People say AGI will replace humans. Here's my take on unique human potential that AI can't replicate.

AI's advancements today are nothing short of miraculous and would look like science fiction or magic to previous generations. But one thing is still critically missing.

Today’s AI systems like GPT are powered by pattern recognition processed from training data. Their understanding is fundamentally abstracted, operating through symbolic processing. Insight is limited to patterns and relationships that can be captured in training data. 

AI is Limited to Mapped Territory

AI is limited to tasks & parameters that are readily definable - tasks that exist in mapped territory. On the other hand, real-world situations contain countless subtle, interacting factors. Many of these parameters cannot be fully defined or articulated. Moreover, reality is fluid and constantly shifting. Complete modelling of all factors is practically impossible. Novel situations constantly emerge with unique combinations of elements.

Reality can't be fully modelled. The map is not the territory.

For instance, no matter how much you prepare for a job interview, there are countless subtle factors you can't fully plan for - the interviewer's mood that day, unconscious body language cues, chemistry between personalities, or even how a random comment might trigger an unexpected connection.

Do Humans Also Act Through Mental Models?

What about humans then? Aren’t humans also acting in reality through mental models and approximations? Well, yes. But in a different manner with its own unique advantages.

Humans have somatic direct experiential understanding of the world through embodied existence. They are able to navigate through undefined parameters through direct feedback via integration of conscious and unconscious processing. 

Humans possess the unique ability to venture into uncharted territory, make sense of previously unknown phenomena, and transform raw experiences into structured knowledge.

Only after this human process of discovery and initial understanding can AI systems be effectively deployed to analyze and build upon these newly mapped insights.

AI can only work with what humans have already mapped and understood. Our irreplaceable gift is the ability to venture into the unknown and make sense of it.

---

If you enjoyed this article, feel free to check out our Human-AI Training Programs offered at Otti Neurolearning Institute. We offer training programs that develop your unique human edge while using AI. We teach you how to think and work better with AI, instead of teaching you skills that are easily replaceable by AI.

"The future belongs to those who can create value not replicable by AI."

---

Published on: 4 February 2025

Written by:  WOON Ken Xhen

© 2025 Centre of Applied Metacognition (CAM)