The Man Who Invented AGI

Steven

The Man Who Invented AGI

Summary

Steven Levy traces the origin and popularisation of the term “artificial general intelligence” (AGI). The article highlights an early, little-known use of the phrase by Mark Gubrud in 1997, who defined AGI as systems that rival or surpass the human brain in complexity and speed and can acquire, manipulate and reason with general knowledge. Levy then follows how the term was independently adopted and popularised in the early 2000s by figures such as Ben Goertzel and Shane Legg, who gave it the succinct acronym that stuck. The piece contrasts Gubrud’s warnings about the military and societal dangers of such powerful systems with the modern AGI arms race among big tech companies and governments, showing how a phrase coined in a niche paper became central to global tech politics and investment.

Key Points

  • Mark Gubrud used and defined “artificial general intelligence” in a 1997 paper, intending to warn about dangers from advanced technologies.
  • Gubrud’s definition emphasised AGI as AI that rivals or surpasses human cognition across general tasks; that definition endures.
  • In the early 2000s, Ben Goertzel, Shane Legg and others popularised the term AGI, helping it gain traction in research communities and conferences.
  • The acronym AGI replaced older terms like “strong AI” or “real AI,” and became central to contemporary tech discourse and investment.
  • Gubrud focused on risks — particularly military uses and an arms race — and feels sidelined despite his early contribution.
  • Today AGI drives major corporate deals, huge capital expenditure by Meta/Google/Microsoft, and geopolitical fears about advantage between states.

Context and Relevance

The article matters because the definition and framing of AGI shape policy, research priorities and investment. Understanding who named AGI and why helps explain current debates: is AGI an engineering milestone to chase, or a potential societal threat to regulate? Levy connects the origin story to recent headlines — such as major Microsoft–OpenAI agreements and massive spending by tech giants — showing that a phrase once buried in a niche paper now guides trillion-dollar decisions and national strategy.

Why should I read this?

Short version: it’s a neat origin story that explains why everyone’s losing their heads about AGI right now. Read it if you want a quick, human-centred explanation of how a technical label went from one person’s warning to the tagline for a global tech arms race — and why that matters for policy, investment and risk.

Author style

Punchy — Levy gives historical context and contemporary relevance without getting bogged down in jargon. If you care about AI policy, business strategy or the ethics of powerful systems, this is worth your five minutes.

Source

Source: https://www.wired.com/story/the-man-who-invented-agi/