Ben Goertzel coined the term "AGI" in a 2005 book, founded the field's first annual conference, and led the AI team that built Sophia, the humanoid robot granted citizenship by Saudi Arabia. He now runs an open-source AGI project and SingularityNET, a blockchain network built on the bet that artificial general intelligence should never be owned by a handful of Silicon Valley labs.
Goertzel and Boaz Sobrado get into all of it.
We cover:
How Ben Goertzel coined the term "AGI" in a 2005 book that put it on the map
Leading the AI team behind Sophia, the robot granted Saudi citizenship
"The creation of machines as smart as people... is almost inevitable"
Why superintelligence could end in "utopia or annihilation"
Ray Kurzweil's 2029 prediction, and why Goertzel thinks we're on track
Which jobs get automated first once human-level AGI arrives (plumbers, roofers, electricians)
The one category of job that may never go away: human-to-human connection
"It'd be a great birthday present to get your kid" - on AI robot girlfriends
Cosmism, panpsychism, and why he thinks a superintelligence could already surround us
The "longevity escape velocity" pill and living for millions of years
Why he'd kill a rogue AGI to save his wife and kids
Why he thinks Sam Altman and Elon Musk both quietly abandoned "open" AI
Building AGI on a decentralized network spanning 50 countries and 10,000 people
"He was also funding Marvin Minsky and Noam Chomsky"
Launching Omega Claw, his new open-source persistent AI agent
RESOURCES & LINKS:
SingularityNET: https://singularitynet.io
MORE OF BEN GOERTZEL:
Twitter/X: https://x.com/bengoertzel
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bengoertzel
MORE OF ON THE MARGIN:
Website: https://www.themargin.tv
Spotify:
Main Site: https://www.on-the-margin.com
MORE OF BOAZ SOBRADO:
Twitter: https://x.com/sobradob
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sobradob
Website: https://themargin.tv/boaz-sobrado
MORE OF IVAN PATRIKI:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/artizt
Substack: https://substack.com/@artizt
Twitter: https://x.com/Ivan_patriki
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artizt/?hl=en
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ascended
Telegram: https://t.me/ivanpatriki
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - Cold open: "How important is it that humans survive?".
0:53 - Welcome, calling in from an island off Seattle.
1:12 - Transhumanist, cosmist, AGI builder: what Ben Goertzel actually does.
2:40 - Mathematics PhD to Hyperion: how his AGI project works.
4:16 - Coining "AGI" and leading the team behind Sophia the robot.
6:47 - "Almost inevitable": why human-level AGI is coming.
7:50 - Utopia or annihilation: the existential risk case for superintelligence.
12:29 - 2029 prediction, and which jobs get automated first.
16:15 - What young people should study to survive AGI.
19:42 - The jobs that survive: human-to-human connection.
21:19 - "When do I get an AI robot girlfriend?".
22:34 - Is building AGI the closest thing to building God?.
29:43 - The longevity escape velocity pill and living for millions of years.
34:20 - Would Putin rule for a thousand years with AGI on his side?.
36:31 - Why decentralized, open-source AGI is the real safeguard.
38:18 - Does humanity even need to keep existing?.
43:05 - Cosmism, panpsychism, and remote viewing, explained.
49:02 - Is AI doom just a scare tactic for investors?
53:09 - What actually separates AGI from Claude and ChatGPT.
1:02:36 - Nuclear bombs, AI governance, and a one-world government.
1:08:04 - How Ben actually makes money off SingularityNET.
1:11:36 - Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and the death of "open" AI.
1:15:11 - Jeffrey Epstein funded his AI research for 17 years.
1:18:24 - "Did you ever go to the island?".
1:20:22 - Final advice: build your own AI agent army.
