The DeepMind chief predicts that powerful AI (AGI) will emerge by 2030.

Google DeepMind announces the approach of AGI

At a recent Google I/O conference, the company’s CEO Demis Hassabis announced that strong artificial intelligence (AGI) will appear around 2030 and radically change global computing processes.

How “general” AI will be tested
Hassabis clarified in an Axios interview with Mike Allen that the implementation of AGI will proceed in stages. To confirm that the system truly possesses general intelligence, he proposed a conditional “Einstein test.”

* The algorithm is trained on physics data up to 1901 and then must independently reproduce Albert Einstein’s discoveries from 1905.

Current models cannot pass such a test, but this barrier will be overcome in the future.

Competition and practical value of AI
Hassabis noted that competition in artificial intelligence today is the fiercest it has ever been. Google has the most extensive research base and successfully integrates professional solutions into consumer services.

An example of the practical benefit of neural networks is forecasting extreme weather conditions: AI models can provide accurate data a day before a catastrophe, whereas traditional programs require several weeks of computation.

Optimism and caution
Despite public skepticism and concerns from industry colleagues about existential threats, Hassabis remains optimistic. He believes that AGI’s impact will surpass the industrial revolution tenfold and enable breakthroughs in medicine, materials science, mathematics, and energy.

He also emphasized that it is important not to chase development speed but to choose the direction of progress wisely. DeepMind continues to operate in London after Google acquired it in 2014 for $400 million.

Global responsibility
In 2023, Hassabis signed a statement declaring that reducing AI risks should become a global priority alongside pandemics and nuclear war. He is confident that with the right approach, AGI development can ensure a “millennium of human prosperity.”