The Grand AGI Delusion

and a fantastic symposium on AI and society at The Royal Society

We aren’t close to AGI, but we are reshaping our world on the premise that we are.

I think we are making a huge mistake.

My 25 minute talk about this, delivered at the Royal Society on October 2, on the occasion of the 75th Anniversary of Turing Test can be found here. [Time stamp: 1:39.37]

The Grand AGI delusion

“But, wait, there’s more”, as late night TV guy Ron Popeil used to say. The legendary inventor Alan Kay opened the same event with a brilliant and personal talk on hubris, power, technology, and black swan events that could affect us all: [Time stamp: 0:16.52]

Alan Kay’s warning to us all

And, in a life moment that I will never forget, here is the legendary Peter Gabriel introducing me and distilling into a few minutes and a few pointed questions so much of what is so important about our moment in history. [Time stamp: 1:35.35]

Peter Gabriel, asking vital questions about AI

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The entire event, co-organized with sublime taste by Dame Wendy Hall and Alan Kay, is well-worth watching; it was one of the best one-day symposia I have ever been to, a deep dive into AI’s impact on society. Watch, for example, for the eviscerating remarks on contemporary AI from Shannon Vallor, a hilarious live reenactment of the absurd variety of tests in the Turing’s original paper, and trenchant closing remarks from Alan Turing’s nephew Dermot Turing. And so much more, all brilliantly observed:

P.S. I rarely fan boy but this moment was truly special: