The Man Who Invented AGI

Wang, who now teaches astatine Temple University, says he only vaguely remembers nan chat but says he mightiness person suggested immoderate alternatives. More importantly, he tells maine that what those contributors dubbed AGI successful circa 2002 is “basically nan original AI.” The Dartmouth founders envisioned machines that would definitive intelligence pinch nan aforesaid breadth arsenic humans did. “We needed a caller explanation because nan only 1 had changed its communal usage,” he says.

The dice was cast. “We each started utilizing it successful immoderate online forums, this building AGI,” says Legg. (He didn’t ever usage it: “I ne'er really mentioned AGI successful my PhD thesis, because I thought it would beryllium excessively controversial,” he says.) Goerztel’s book, Artificial General Intelligence, didn’t travel retired until mid-decade, but by past nan word was taking off, pinch a diary and convention by that name.

Gubrud did negociate to declare in installments successful naming AGI. In nan mid-2000s, Gubrud himself called it to nan attraction of those popularizing nan term. As Legg puts it, “Somebody pops up retired of nan woodwork and says, ‘Oh, I came up pinch nan word successful ‘97,' and we're like, 'Who nan hellhole are you?' And past judge enough, we looked it up, and he had a insubstantial that had it. So [instead of inventing it] I benignant of reinvented nan term." (Legg of people is nan cofounder and main AGI intelligence astatine Google’s DeepMind.)

Gubrud attended nan 2nd AGI convention successful 2006 and met Goertzel briefly. He ne'er met Legg, though complete nan years he occasionally interacted pinch him online, ever successful a friends manner. Gubrud understands that his ain deficiency of follow-up edged him retired of nan picture.

“I will judge nan in installments for nan first citation and springiness them in installments for a batch of different activity that I didn't do, and possibly should have—but that wasn't my focus.” he says. “My interest was nan arms race. The full constituent of penning that insubstantial was to pass astir that.” Gubrud hasn’t been prolific successful producing activity aft that—his profession has been peripatetic, and he now spends a batch of clip caring for his mother—but he has authored a number of papers arguing for a ban connected autonomous slayer robots and nan like.

Gubrud can’t disregard nan dissonance betwixt his position and that of nan lords of AGI. “It’s taking complete nan world, worthy virtually trillions of dollars,” he says. “And I americium a 66-year-old pinch a worthless PhD and nary sanction and nary money and nary job.” But Gubrud does person a legacy. He gave a sanction to AGI. His meaning still stands. And his warnings astir its dangers are still worthy listening to.

This is an version of Steven Levy’s Backchannel newsletter. Read erstwhile newsletters here.