AI industry leaders: "Human-level" AI has already arrived

AI industry leaders: "Human-level" AI has already arrived

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According to media reports on Friday, several founding figures in the AI field stated that AI systems have already reached human-level intelligence in certain domains, further intensifying the industry's debate over the timeline for the arrival of "superintelligence." These experts believe that the realization of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) will not be a single moment, but a gradual process.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Meta AI head Yann LeCun, and several top computer scientists jointly received this year’s Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering. While accepting the award at the Financial Times Future of AI Summit, they stated that machines already possess "human-level intelligence" in some domains. Huang said: "AI is, for the first time, an intelligence that augments human capabilities. It addresses labor issues and gets work done."

This statement has triggered a re-examination of the valuation basis for AI companies. Companies like OpenAI and Anthropic have attracted billions of dollars in investment, partly based on expectations that they are about to create world-changing technology. Data shows that mentions of AGI in first-quarter 2025 corporate earnings calls are 53% higher than the same period last year.

There is a wide divergence in market expectations about when artificial general intelligence will be achieved. The most optimistic researchers and investors predict AGI will be realized within two years, while others believe this milestone is still decades away. These differences directly affect the investment fervor and valuations in the AI industry.

Is AGI Already a Reality or Still on the Way?

The winning experts believe that the arrival of artificial general intelligence will not be a sudden, singular event.

Yann LeCun stated, "Capabilities will gradually expand in various fields, so it will not be an event." Jensen Huang was more direct: "We’re already there… It’s kind of an academic question at this point, because the technology will continue to be applied." He added that there is already sufficient general intelligence to turn technology into many socially beneficial applications.

The realization of AGI has become one of the most pressing issues in the booming AI industry. OpenAI and Anthropic have attracted billions of dollars in the race to build this technology, while the U.S. and China are also competing to be the first to reach this goal. Recent increases in the valuation of both public and private AI companies are partly based on the belief that they are about to create world-changing technology.

Can Machines Fully Surpass Humans?

Experts are divided on whether AI systems will surpass humans in all areas. World Labs founder Fei-Fei Li stated: "Some machines will surpass human intelligence... Part of it is already here. How many of us can recognize 22,000 objects in the world... How many of us can translate 100 languages?" But she emphasized that "machine-based intelligence will do many powerful things, but human intelligence will always play a key role in our society."

Geoffrey Hinton, who last year jointly received the Nobel Prize in Physics with U.S. researcher John Hopfield, predicted: "When debating with machines, machines will always win. How long until this happens? I think it will definitely happen within 20 years."

Canadian scholar and Turing Award winner Yoshua Bengio stated: "At some point, we will be able to build machines that can do almost everything we can do. I see no reason why that’s not possible. Of course, there are still shortcomings at present, but conceptually there’s no reason it can't be done."

But Bengio warned against making current decisions based on future technological developments. "You should really remain agnostic and not make major declarations, because there are many possible futures right now," he added. This cautious attitude contrasts with current market enthusiasm for AGI and offers investors space for sober contemplation.

Risk Warning and DisclaimerThe market comes with risk, and investment should be prudent. This article does not constitute personal investment advice and does not take into account the special investment objectives, financial status, or needs of individual users. Users should consider whether any opinions, views, or conclusions in this article are appropriate for their particular situation. Investing accordingly is at your own risk. ```