AI-FRONTIERMay 19, 20261 min read9 views

Demis Hassabis said this might be the ‘foothills of the singularity.’ What?

At Google I/O, Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis suggested humanity is standing at the 'foothills of the singularity' with the rise of AGI, predicting a 50% chance of achieving it by 2030.

Welcome to a “profound moment for humanity,” according to Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis, who closed out Google I/O’s keynote presentation on Tuesday, saying:

Demis Hassabis said this might be the ‘foothills of the singularity.’ What?

After a couple of hours of apps and itineraries, Google’s big AI presentation turned philosophical.

Google’s cutting-edge research and products will help unlock AGI’s incredible potential for the benefit of the entire world. When we look back at this time, I think we will realize that we were standing in the foothills of the singularity.

It will be a profound moment for humanity. This technology will be a force multiplier for human ingenuity and usher in a new golden age of scientific discovery and progress, improving the lives of everyone, everywhere. We look forward to building the future with all of you. Thank you, and enjoy the rest of Google I/O.

Just before announcing we’ve possibly arrived at “the foothills of the singularity,” Hassabis introduced Gemini for Science, a set of tools and experiments in Google Labs and Google Antigravity intended for helping with scientific research. According to Hassabis, with tools like these, Google hopes to “reimagine drug discovery with the goal of one day solving all disease.” Tech executives often discuss AI this way, like Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella referring to AI as “cognitive amplifier tools” and Luma AI CEO Amit Jain’s claim last year that AI is the key to saving Hollywood.

In an interview with Bloomberg just a few months ago, Hassabis said that “the singularity is another word for a full AGI arriving,” which is not the same definition we’re used to from the likes of Vernor Vinge and Ray Kurzweil.

At the time, even by his measurement, he claimed that “we’re nowhere near that.” When asked about his timeline for achieving AGI, Hassabis said he was standing by his prediction that we have a “50 percent chance of getting there by 2030.”

Follow topics and authorsfrom this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.

Source: The Verge AI

More in this category

ai-frontier

A scorecard for the AI age

How should businesses measure the ROI of AI? Instead of tracking active users or cost per token, leaders should focus on 'Useful Intelligence per Dollar'—measuring the actual work accomplished against its total cost.

ai-frontier

A Humanoid Company Backed by Eric Trump Is Preparing Its Robots for War

Some companies want their humanoid robots to fold your clothes. Others want them in the workplace. Sankaet Pathak and his startup Foundation Future Industries have a slightly different goal: produce an all-American robot supersoldier.

ai-frontier

The risk of weather data sabotage is rising

The temptation to manipulate weather data for financial gain, combined with the rise of AI-driven forecasting models, is putting the accuracy of global weather predictions at risk.

ai-frontier

Why Apple Sued OpenAI, New York Takes on Data Centers, and What to Know about Cyclosporiasis

This week on Uncanny Valley, the team discusses the details behind Apple suing OpenAI over alleged stolen hardware secrets, OpenAI employees funding an AI guardrail super PAC, and New York's landmark data center moratorium.

ai-frontier

Here’s Why Anthropic Is Pushing States to Regulate AI Faster

Anthropic is advocating for tougher state-level AI regulations, arguing that early transparency laws are already outdated. While critics accuse the company of regulatory capture to stifle competition, Anthropic maintains that powerful AI systems require strict, independent oversight to mitigate catastrophic risks.

ai-frontier

New York governor says she’s using AI to analyze ‘every single rule’ in the state

New York Governor Kathy Hochul revealed that her team used AI to review and identify outdated state regulations, completing a task that would normally take five years in just a couple of months.