The Race for Artificial General Intelligence Poses New Risks to an Unstable World

Artificial general intelligence, believers say, could far surpass human limitations: it could have expert knowledge in all fields, not just one or two; it could complete in minutes complex tasks that take human workers hours or even weeks; and it could be replicated, thus enabling the creation of virtual armies of AI "agents." That kind of computational intelligence could be compared to a "country of geniuses," the CEO of AI company Anthropic, Dario Amodei, wrote last year. These AI systems could begin to automate much of the 100 trillion-plus global economy, delivering huge returns for those lucky enough to control them. They could also be set to task curing disease, discovering new technologies, and hastening the global transition to a green economy, according to their most optimistic proponents. But the dawn of AGI will also have implications for hard geopolitical power. It would turbocharge surveillance, military R&D, and cyberoffense, officials believe.