SingularityNET Founder Predicts AGI to Surpass Human Intelligence by 2030

Dr. Ben Goertzel, the visionary behind SingularityNET, envisions a future where Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) will revolutionize society by 2030. In an exclusive interview, he delves into the implications of AI and its impact on the future of cryptocurrency. Goertzel, who founded SingularityNET in 2017, discusses his plans for Hyperon, a decentralized AGI system, and MeTTa, a programming language designed to advance AGI. His socially conscious upbringing and passion for decentralization have shaped his predictions that AGI will surpass human intelligence within a decade, transforming economies and necessitating universal basic income. He advocates for open-source innovation and the development of a decentralized AI ecosystem.

Goertzel's journey in AI began in his childhood, influenced by books like "The Prometheus Project" by Gerald Feinberg, which discussed superintelligent machines and nanotechnology. Raised by Marxist hippies in Eugene, Oregon, his early life was marked by social activism and anti-war protests. His interest in decentralized AI was sparked by the emergence of the internet in the mid-1990s, which he saw as a platform for building distributed AI systems without central control. Goertzel's ideological roots are deeply tied to social causes, and he describes himself as more anarcho-socialist than libertarian, emphasizing the need to address systemic issues like malnutrition in developing regions.

Goertzel predicts that AGI will achieve human-level intelligence within two to seven years, followed by artificial superintelligence (ASI) that far surpasses human capabilities. This rapid advancement will lead to the automation of most jobs, making universal basic income (UBI) almost inevitable in developed nations. However, he acknowledges the challenges of ensuring access to technology in regions where job obsolescence outpaces technological diffusion. Goertzel believes that the primary barrier to mass adoption of AGI is economic, as manufacturing costs across the supply chain need to be optimized. He also highlights the potential for AGI to be militarized, with leaders like Trump, Xi, or Putin using it for military purposes.

Goertzel's vision for SingularityNET includes the development of Hyperon, an AGI system that integrates large language models, logical reasoning engines, and evolutionary learning to mimic human-like cognition. The platform will also feature a layer-one blockchain with a smart contract language called MeTTa, allowing AI processes to run on-chain or communicate off-chain. The tokenomics of this system will prioritize shards doing real work over speculative meme coins. Goertzel sees the potential for decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) and AI to intersect, with AGIs using DAOs for collective governance and enhancing participatory democracy for humans. However, he acknowledges that digital democracy faces significant barriers, including the insecurity of digital systems and the need for decentralized oversight to prevent hacks.

Goertzel believes that early regulation of AI is necessary, but once it surpasses human intelligence, it will regulate us. He expresses skepticism about the current government's ability to regulate AI effectively, given their struggles with simpler issues like hunger and nuclear disarmament. Goertzel envisions a future where individuals will have the choice to stay human, merge with the superintelligent matrix, or both, with the idea of not having a backup copy of oneself becoming increasingly absurd. His vision for the future is one of cyber-utopianism, acknowledging AI's dominance while embracing human limitations.