AGI, if we ever achieve it, is going to be a massive game-changer. And a lot of people think we’ll get it pretty soon, too.
From my latest at Forbes …
Artificial general intelligence is now an explicit goal for companies like Meta and OpenAI, raising questions about how society will change if AI becomes smarter than humans. At the Beneficial AGI conference in Istanbul, futurist Gregory Stock argued that AGI could fundamentally reshape not just technology, but human identity, work, relationships, and culture.
He predicts shifts toward human-AI cognitive fusion, the collapse of traditional expertise, abundance in many creative and knowledge-driven fields, emotional and relational bonds with AI, and even versions of digital immortality.
Stock’s view contrasts with prominent AI safety voices like Geoffrey Hinton and Steve Wozniak, who warn of existential risks and have called for moratoriums on developing superintelligence. The uncertainty is enormous — ranging from transformative benefits to systemic disruption — and global coordination on AGI development remains limited.
How and by whom AGI is built may determine whether it becomes empowering, destabilizing, or something in between.