How Quickly Does AI Become Smarter Than Humanity? with Ben Goertzel

What is artificial general intelligence (AGI) and how close are we to getting there? What defines the next step, called artificial superintelligence (ASI), and why might the gap between those two be so dangerous? When machines become smarter than us, what roles are left for humanity? Should we think of AI as software, or as something we’re raising like a child? Will tomorrow’s AI destroy us, ignore us, or protect us? This week Eagleman talks with computer scientist & AI researcher Ben Goertzel.

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It’s not too late to join AGI-26, the 19th annual Artificial General Intelligence conference (in person or virtually), July 27-30 in SF.
Use code DAVID20 for 20% off registration: https://luma.com/AGI-26

Ben Goertzel & Cassio Pennachin, Editors (2005). Artificial General Intelligence. Springer.

Ray Kurzweil (2026). The Singularity Is Nearer: When We Merge with AI. Penguin Books.

Goertzel is the founder and CEO of SingularityNET, a project founded to distribute artificial intelligence data via blockchains.

Inner Cosmos episode: Is AI truly intelligent? How would we know if it got there?

Eagleman, DM (2023). A proposed test for human-level intelligence in AI. PsyArXiv.

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