5 Things To Know About AGI

What is AGI?

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is the next leap in AI — not just faster or smarter software, but systems that can reason, learn, and perform most cognitive tasks at the level of — or beyond — an average human. Think of a model that can write code, generate campaign ideas, manage operations, and conduct scientific research... all without needing a human to switch contexts.

Unlike today's “narrow AI” (designed to perform one task very well), AGI systems are generally capable, adaptable, and self-improving. And according to the world’s leading AI researchers, we’re not decades away from AGI — we’re just years away.

That’s the focus of Paul Roetzer’s groundbreaking new podcast series: 🎙️ The Artificial Intelligence Show — where he unpacks where we are, what’s coming, and why it matters.

After several hours of deep research and listening to episode 1 of this series, I pulled together the top insights that every business leader, technologist, marketer, and policymaker should understand.

 
⚡️ 1. AGI will outperform the average human — not just the top 1%
This isn’t about a robot Einstein. It’s about a system that can do what your average accountant, analyst, marketer, or sales rep does — but faster, cheaper, and 24/7.

“When is the model at B-player level?” Roetzer asks. “Because once it is — everything starts to change.”

If most companies are built on average work done by average workers, AGI presents a serious shift in value creation — and a serious risk of job displacement if we don’t prepare.

 
 
🧠 2. AGI Will Emerge in Stages of Capability — Not All at Once
Roetzer explains that AGI isn’t a switch you flip — it’s a spectrum of evolving intelligence.

Google DeepMind’s 2024 paper “Levels of AGI” introduced a 6-level maturity framework:

• Level 0: No AI (Traditional software)
• Level 1: Emerging AGI (Like an unskilled human)
• Level 2: Competent AGI (50th percentile — average skilled adult)
• Level 3: Expert AGI (90th percentile of human performance)
• Level 4: Virtuoso AGI (99th percentile — elite performance)
• Level 5: Superhuman AGI (Smarter than the smartest human)

Many experts believe we’re already seeing “sparks” of Level 2.

What happens when a system hits Level 3 or Level 4? Entire departments, workflows, and industries may be reimagined — or replaced.

 
 
⏳ 3. The AGI Timeline is Accelerating — Faster Than Anyone Expected
In the episode, Roetzer lays out his revised AGI timeline based on interviews, research papers, and insider conversations. Here's the projected evolution over the next few years:

🔹 2024 – 2025:
Smarter, more “reasoning-capable” large language models (LLMs)
Early-stage AI agents begin automating knowledge work
Enterprises start embedding AI into more functions, but adoption is uneven
AI-generated media (voice, video, images) becomes indistinguishable from reality
Voice + multimodal interaction becomes the dominant interface

🔹 2025 – 2026:
Rapid advances in AI agents with memory, planning, and tool use
Agents begin replacing white-collar workflows in marketing, sales, HR, and more
“Digital employees” with autonomy enter the workforce
AGI claims likely begin to emerge from top labs (OpenAI, DeepMind, Anthropic)

🔹 2027 – 2028:
Probable arrival of Competent AGI (Level 2–3)
AI agents can operate entire departments
New startups launch with 1–5 people + AGI-based orgs
Economic, educational, and labor system disruption accelerates
First AGI-driven scientific breakthroughs become public

🔹 2029 – 2030:
Superhuman AGI (Level 4–5) possible
AGI used to invent, experiment, and innovate without human oversight
Possibility of fully autonomous “AI organizations”
AI becomes central to national power, security, and economic growth
“This isn’t just theory,” Roetzer says. “This is what the top minds at Google, OpenAI, Meta, and Anthropic are saying right now.”
 
 
🤖 4. Agents Will Reshape Work Before AGI Fully Arrives
We’re already seeing the early emergence of AI agents — intelligent systems that can take actions, not just generate content.

Agents will:

• Navigate websites and tools on your behalf
• Schedule meetings, book travel, send emails
• Write code, launch ads, generate customer insights
• Execute workflows — not just help you plan the

Roetzer emphasizes: these aren’t futuristic assistants. They’re already being embedded in products from Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and others.

 
 
🧭 5. We Need to Prepare — Not Wait
This isn’t a time for panic. It’s a time for literacy and leadership.

“We shouldn’t wait to be disrupted,” says Roetzer. “We should be actively game-planning what happens next.”

Here’s how to get started:

• Raise your AI literacy — across your team and leadership
• Form an AGI Horizons Team — a cross-functional group tracking potential risks and opportunities
• Scenario plan — what happens if your business, clients, or job is transformed by AGI in 24 months?
• Reimagine talent, structure, and strategy around humans plus AI — not humans vs. AI
• Act now — the future is arriving too fast for 3-year roadmaps
   
   
  Final Thought: The Best Time to Prepare Was Yesterday.
  The Second-Best Time is Now.

This isn’t the moment to ignore what’s coming. AGI isn’t just an “AI thing.” It’s a human thing. A business thing. An everything thing.

If we get this right, we unlock abundance, creativity, and progress on a scale we’ve never seen. If we get it wrong — well, let’s not.

Roetzer’s podcast is a wake-up call. Listen, reflect, and take action.

🔗 Listen to the full episode here: 👉 https://open.spotify.com/episode/46NimbEKaqcFj5TSbELWtu?si=55882fd1fa344a81