The SP Theory of Intelligence as a Foundation for the Development of a
  General, Human-Level Thinking Machine
  This paper summarises how the "SP theory of intelligence" and its realisation
in the "SP computer model" simplifies and integrates concepts across artificial
intelligence and related areas, and thus provides a promising foundation for
the development of a general, human-level thinking machine, in accordance with
the main goal of research in artificial general intelligence.
  The key to this simplification and integration is the powerful concept of
"multiple alignment", borrowed and adapted from bioinformatics. This concept
has the potential to be the "double helix" of intelligence, with as much
significance for human-level intelligence as has DNA for biological sciences.
  Strengths of the SP system include: versatility in the representation of
diverse kinds of knowledge; versatility in aspects of intelligence (including:
strengths in unsupervised learning; the processing of natural language; pattern
recognition at multiple levels of abstraction that is robust in the face of
errors in data; several kinds of reasoning (including: one-step `deductive'
reasoning; chains of reasoning; abductive reasoning; reasoning with
probabilistic networks and trees; reasoning with 'rules'; nonmonotonic
reasoning and reasoning with default values; Bayesian reasoning with
'explaining away'; and more); planning; problem solving; and more); seamless
integration of diverse kinds of knowledge and diverse aspects of intelligence
in any combination; and potential for application in several areas (including:
helping to solve nine problems with big data; helping to develop human-level
intelligence in autonomous robots; serving as a database with intelligence and
with versatility in the representation and integration of several forms of
knowledge; serving as a vehicle for medical knowledge and as an aid to medical
diagnosis; and several more).
