Ben Goertzel: Whoever Gets AGI First Can CONQUER THE PLANET
The Beyond Tomorrow Podcast with Julian IssaShow Notes
How close are we to AGI?
This episode is brought to you by AgelessRx, where aging becomes a puzzle that can be solved. The mission is to help you live longer and healthier by adding more life to your years through science-backed solutions and personalized care. Learn more at http://agelessrx.com/beyond-tomorrow
The race toward AGI is entering a new phase. Ben Goertzel explores alternative paths to intelligence beyond simply building bigger models.
The conversation also examines the global AI race. The U.S. and China are competing for technological leadership. But the future of AI may not remain centralized.
Then comes the bigger question: what happens after superintelligence? Goertzel imagines AI that could protect humanity. It could even help overcome aging, disease, and other human limitations.
Ben Goertzel is an AI researcher, futurist, and CEO of SingularityNET and BGI Labs. Widely recognized as one of the pioneers of Artificial General Intelligence, he has spent more than two decades developing decentralized AI systems designed to benefit humanity.
What You’ll Learn Why the AI revolution may be bigger than previous technological shifts
How AI could become an extension of human intelligence
Why agency may matter more than machine consciousness
How the brain creates a simulated model of reality
Whether consciousness could emerge on different substrates
Why AI alignment is also a problem of human alignment
How AI could help humanity become smarter and more coherent
⏱ Timestamps 00:00 Intro 00:07 What Happens in the Next 12 Months? 03:41 Why China Is Catching Up 07:36 Why China Wants AI Control 10:18 Can Governments Control AI? 13:02 Human-Level AGI vs Superintelligence 15:35 Will ASI be Chinese or American? 17:47 The Next Breakthrough to AGI 21:05 How AI Could Become More Intelligent 22:23 Why Language Powers AI 27:33 Can Decentralized AI Change Everything? 32:23 The Global Race vs Decentralized AI 36:22 Would Superintelligence Protect Humanity? 40:19 Can We Build Compassionate AGI? 46:27 Why AI Arms Races Are Dangerous 51:14 Why Governments Shouldn’t Control AI 53:17 Can the Government Keep Up With AI? 54:00 Will Open AI Challenge Big Tech? 55:12 The Future of Decentralized AI 56:27 Could 2045 Arrive by 2028?
Connect with Ben Website: https://singularitynet.io/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bengoertzel X: https://x.com/bengoertzel
Connect with Julian Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebeyondtomorrowpodcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliankissa/ LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/julian-issa Website: www.beyondtomorrowpodcast.com Email: [email protected]
Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube for more stories from the edge of what is possible.
More from The Beyond Tomorrow Podcast with Julian Issa
Is “AI will destroy humanity” a real risk, or a story we tell ourselves because we haven’t done the hard engineering?
Do we really know enough about GLP-1 drugs? Mike Israetel breaks down the risks and trade-offs, from anhedonia and calorie-deprived diets to cognitive distortion and the myth of a “zero-harm” default.
What if the fastest way to a longer life isn't a miracle drug, but a wartime mentality against aging?
Are we living in a simulation?
What happens when millions of people hand their lives to AI agents, and nobody has built the rules of the road?