Rowan Cheung May 26, 2026 Demis Hassabis says we’re in the ‘foothills of the singularity’ In this exclusive conversation, I sat down with the Google DeepMind CEO to find out:

• Why AGI is coming in 2030, plus or minus a year
• How AI will compress drug discovery from 10 years to weeks
• Why glasses are the killer app form factor AI was waiting for
• What Demis will work on after AGI (and what’s left for human meaning)

Get 5-minute daily updates on the latest AI news: https://www.therundown.ai/subscribe Chapters: 0:00 Intro 0:45 What Demis is most excited about at I/O 1:46 Have AGI timelines shifted? 3:30 What’s still missing before AGI 6:50 AI curing every disease 9:19 What diseases get cured first? 10:50 What Demis works on after AGI 11:48 Human meaning after AGI 13:50 The human skills that get more valuable 15:19 What’s underhyped in AI right now

• Google AI Overview

AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) is a theoretical type of AI that can match or exceed human capabilities across virtually all cognitive tasks. Unlike current “narrow” AI—which is built for specific jobs—AGI could learn, reason, and apply knowledge across entirely new domains without requiring task-specific training. Wikipedia +2

How it Differs from Current AI

• Current AI (Narrow): Excels at specific tasks (e.g., generating code or summarizing texts) but lacks real-world adaptability outside its training. Amazon Web Services (AWS) +1
• AGI (General): Possesses versatile “common sense.” It could transfer skills between different situations, solve unfamiliar problems, and self-teach like a human. Amazon Web Services (AWS) +1

Key Characteristics of AGI

• Cross-Domain Learning: The ability to understand and connect concepts across unrelated fields (e.g., playing chess, writing a novel, and repairing a faucet). Stanford HAI +1
• Autonomy & Agency: The capacity to set its own goals, make long-term plans, and figure out how to accomplish them without constant human guidance. YouTube·Tiff In Tech
• Common Sense & Judgment: Adapting to unpredictable, real-world situations seamlessly. IBM

Timeline & Challenges

While major strides in Large Language Models (LLMs) and agentic AI have been made, true AGI remains a hypothetical milestone. Researchers debate when it will be achieved and how it will be measured, with ongoing discussions surrounding the safety and societal impact of developing human-level intelligence. Stanford HAI +3

(Note: If you are asking about taxes, AGI stands for Adjusted Gross Income—which is your total gross income for the year minus specific tax deductions.) H&R Block

(Inspired by William P. Chiles)