Unlike what we are used to seeing in science fiction movies, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not a futuristic concept anymore. 

The likelihood of robots taking over humanity is low, but this technology has greatly improved the performance of different processes, especially in Digital Marketing.

Automation is one of the main objectives with the support of AI, and it has completely changed marketing and the workflow for marketers. 

As a result of Digital Transformation, these different mechanisms help companies achieve outstanding results, especially if they apply data-driven strategies. 

The more we know about AI, the more we can take advantage of it in a strategic way.

This post aims to show you different types of Artificial Intelligence and how they can be applied. We will present the following examples:

3. Artificial Superintelligence (ASI)

ASI is considered the most powerful AI-related technology because it gives machines the possibility to become conscious and autonomous.

Instead of simply replicating human behavior, it surpasses this capacity. In fact, it is even considered to be more skilled than humans.

This category of AI is still being developed and improved, despite already being at an advanced stage. 

This model has inspired movies to create realities where robots have their own will and simply rule the Earth.

Of course, this will not happen (maybe), but the idea is that machines can be as intelligent as they are portrayed in the movies.

ASI’s line of development calls for these robots to be better than humans at absolutely everything. The machines will be better athletes, scientists, artists, and even doctors. 

This is a possibility because this technology entails a level of science that focuses on creating systems with their own emotions and wishes.

Still, it is important to be careful when developing ASIs. The possible consequences of advanced reasoning ability require meticulous analysis. 

Therefore, the work has to be gradual and always conducted responsibly.

The whole debate around artificial superintelligence can get kind of weird, honestly. You’ll hear people compare it to the invention of electricity, or even fire—some see a world-saving tool, others a total existential threat. Sometimes it just feels like we’re armchair-philosophers guessing in the dark. That’s not to dismiss the concern; it’s just hard to treat potential risks with the kind of urgency they maybe deserve, when so much of it reads like sci-fi. Even so, ask any AI researcher in 2025, and you’ll sense a mix of skepticism and unease hovering in the background.

It’s probably worth saying that science fiction doesn’t always get it wrong—occasionally, those movies come close to what ends up feeling inevitable a few decades later. Take the idea of consciousness: for a long time, people talked about “thinking machines” with a chuckle, but now we’ve got systems that, while not truly sentient, at least mimic cognition in ways that spook even their creators. Some folks at MIT and OpenAI have published papers suggesting that these models might be starting to demonstrate unexpected reasoning abilities (if you want a rabbit hole, just start reading about emergent properties in neural networks). Whether or not that’s actually “intelligence” is the ongoing argument.

4. Reactive Machines

Among the types of Artificial Intelligence, reactive machines are the oldest and simplest. 

They are an introductory model and have a far more limited capacity than the models presented so far. 

Its role is straightforward: to reproduce human behavior when stimulated, that is, to perform reactively.

Since they have no memory, these machines cannot learn and manage an internal database to work with their input. They only have a response function. 

So, they are automated to react to some action. This limitation, however, does not prevent them from being useful in several contexts, even though they are slowly becoming outdated.

After all, when talking about reactive machines, we need to remember their greatest moment, when this technology was tested in the 1990s. 

It was such a system that beat chess champion Garry Kasparov in 1997. At the time, the specific machine was an IBM creation called Deep Blue.

By the way, there is a great TED about this event: 

5. Limited Memory

Limited memory machines are, like the previous example, entirely reactive, but with the advantage that they have a small amount of memory available. 

This makes them more advanced since this characteristic allows them to learn from data. That is, every time they are exposed to information, they can learn from that input.

These machines then create small databases from their interaction history. 

For this reason, when required, they can make simple decisions to respond to a request or perform some action. 

Today, this form of AI is widely used, but only in its basic form. Memory has been extended to provide better performance.

For example, Limited Memory Intelligence can be found in facial recognition systems, virtual assistants, and chatbots.

6. Theory of Mind

Theory of Mind is a type of AI that has been developed in recent years. 

At this point, we cannot say much about its application or how far it will go in terms of development. 

However, the idea is that it is one of the most innovative models ever seen. The goal is for it to be capable of understanding the interactions to which it is exposed.

The Theory of Mind deals accurately with emotions, needs, and thought processes of the human mind. 

Today, this category is still considered futuristic, even with all the advances made in the segment so far. The specialists’ understanding is that there is still much to be studied about AI.

For this reason, the Theory of Mind is an idealization in the making, but one that has the potential to become one of the most prominent. 

Besides the development of studies in general, the process also depends on understanding how the human mind processes feelings and reactions.

7. Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is just a concept at this phase, but a concept that guides the development of AI. 

The idea is that machines will be self-aware in the future. This is the highest level of development that AI can reach, and, naturally, it takes time and considerable effort.

The idea is that this type of AI will be able to understand all emotions, possess its own, and understand every detail going on with anyone that interacts with it. 

As ambitious as this may sound, this is what scientists see on the horizon. However, it is impossible to point out how many years it will take for AI to reach this level.

It is also undeniable that this is a dangerous stage of advancement for AI. 

Essentially independent, machines will have reasoning that simply cannot be stopped at any given time. 

There is much to be done, even though self-awareness is already a clear concept among types of Artificial Intelligence.

Wrap-Up: Are you Ready for the Future of AI?

The current reality of technology allows machines to act like human beings which can be extremely useful for many business solutions. 

They have paved the way for new types of AI to emerge and change the world.

Now that you understand how advanced the development of Artificial Intelligence is, find out how to use it in your business. 

Check out our recorded webinar on the role of AI in Marketing! Our special guest is Paul Roetzer, CEO of PR 20/20 and the Marketing Artificial Intelligence Institute.

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