The full potential of AI is still years away but LG Electronics president and chief technology officer Dr. I.P. Park presented four levels of artificial intelligence that will alter the relationship between humans, technology and life. Park, who delivered a CES keynote last year, was joined at LG’s CES Media Day press conference by Jean-François Gagné, CEO of the Montreal-based Element AI. The two companies announced a memo of understanding on January 5 to work together in development of AI technologies.

The four levels of Artificial Intelligence are:

• Level One – Efficiency
• Level Two – Personalization
• Level Three – Reasoning
• Level Four – Exploration

Gagné outlined dimensions and characteristics for each level: environmental awareness, collaboration, user understanding and autonomy. Most products today, including LG’s branded ThinQ AI, are at the first level. They can perceive their environment, but work independently from other devices. It serves as an agent and is task-oriented.

We are advancing into the second level now where AI is capable of recognizing its environment, connecting and interoperating with other devices. It functions as a true assistant and is goal-oriented. Later in the presentation, they showed how this is available to enhance proactive customer-care and service in washing machines, as an example.

More ambitious, Level Three is about “causal learning,” understanding connections and the “why of causality,” Gagné explained as he acknowledged that “the collective intelligence of devices is still a few years away.” At the fourth level, Park and Gagné imagine AI acting much like scientists, employing experimental learning to explore ideas and hypotheses.

Overall, Park said that AI is transforming the business of LG from selling to its customers to connecting with them.

LG touted its leadership in high-resolution television, including reference standard NanoCell 8K OLED displays with more than 30 million pixels. With that tremendous pixel count, LG now offers Contrast Modulation to optimize the viewing experience. New LG televisions will have Dolby Vision IQ as well as Atmos for enhanced image and audio.

LG also announced expanded capabilities for its ThinQ AI platform, including a voice and remote-controlled interactive feature that enables views to ask “who, what, and where” if users see a person, product or place onscreen and want to know more.

Filmmakers Christopher Nolan and Christopher McQuarrie made recorded cameo appearances to articulate why the new UHD Filmmaker Mode matters, especially as the average size of television screens approaches 50-inches and the cinematic experience comes into living rooms. LG announced that all new 4K televisions will ship with Filmmaker Mode.

LG is located at CES this week in Central Hall booth 11100.