Envision one where machines imagined, would in general, and make like people—or better than us at any rate above for almost every rational undertaking. That future may come as soon as 2025, though, according to OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman. And if he is right, the age of artificial general intelligence (AGI) could change everything about the world we know. AGI, is it really attainable or a mere pipe dream?

So, what is AGI, and why does it matter; and are these predictions about its arrival wishful thinking?

AGI is more than just the AI systems we are accustomed to working with today. AGI, unlike the chatbots and recommendation engines we work with every day, would have the capacity to understand, learn, and execute almost any intellectual task that a human can do—and perhaps do it better.

More like the be-all-end-all of answers: creating new tech, forming random breakthroughs, or even managing a company all by its lonesome self! The holy grail of artificial intelligence, the ultimate utopian goal for researchers and technologists alike, is AGI (Artificial General…