Episode 2289: Gary Marcus on how Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is, in the long run, inevitable
Gary Marcus is amongst the world’s leading skeptics on the AI revolution. So it’s worth taking note when Marcus admits that “of course we are getting to AGI eventually”. No, he says, artificial general intelligence (AGI) won’t take place in 2027 or perhaps even 2050. But it will happen, he confidently predicts, by 2100. So that only underlines Marcus’ argument, made in his acclaimed 2024 book Taming Silicon Valley, of the desperate need to regulate AI before it regulates us. And it also contextualizes our short term preoccupation with corporate pioneers of generative AI technology like OpenAI, Anthropic, DeepMind and xAI. As Marcus argues, it’s likely that the dominant AI technology that will get us to AGI by the end of the 21st century hasn’t even been invented yet.
Gary Marcus is a leading voice in artificial intelligence, well known for his challenges to contemporary AI. He is a scientist and best-selling author and was founder and CEO of Geometric.AI, a machine learning company acquired by Uber. A Professor Emeritus at NYU, he is the author of five previous books, including the bestseller Guitar Zero, Kluge (one of The Economist's eight best books on the brain and consciousness), and Rebooting AI (with Ernest Davis), one of Forbes's seven must-read books on AI.
Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children
Keen On is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe
Episode 2477: How Daniel Oppenheimer Learned That the Problem in his Marriage Was Himself
Episode 2476: William Deresiewicz on American Boys & Men
Episode 2475: Gregory Walton on how to achieve BIG change with small acts
Episode 2474: What Thomas Mann can teach America about how to save its democracy
Episode 2473: Is Europe about to become the World's 3rd Tech Superpower?
Episode 2472: Clay Risen on Joe McCarthy, Donald Trump and the Paranoid Style of American History
Episode 2471: Dan Brooks reveals the MAGA aesthetic
Episode 2470: Andrew Keen on the current state of American journalism
Episode 2469: Daryl Davis on His Life with the Klu Klux Klan
Episode 2468: David Masciotra on Trump's ravenous bigotry toward the trans community
Episode 2467: Will AI kill Apple?
Episode 2466: Sarah Vowell tells the Untold Story of Public Service
Episode 2464: Marc Dunkelman on Why Nothing Works