Human-Level AI Is Almost Here, and Demis Hassabis Says It Will Rival Fire and Electricity Google DeepMind chief Demis Hassabis argues that human-level AI will arrive before the decade ends and will reshape civilisation more profoundly than the internet or mobile computing. He is also pushing for tough new safeguards and a FINRA-style body to oversee frontier models. Human-level artificial intelligence may be only a few years away, and when it arrives its effect on the world will look less like the internet or the smartphone and more like humanity learning to control fire or discovering electricity. That is the case Demis Hassabis, chief executive of Google DeepMind, laid out this week. It is the second time this year that he has publicly forecast that artificial general intelligence will arrive before the decade is out. What sets this claim apart is its scale: he no longer frames AGI as just another technological breakthrough, but as a turning point for civilisation itself. In a blog post published Tuesday on X, Hassabis said AGI is "probably only a few short years away," describing it as a technology capable of reshaping human civilisation. "When we look back on this time in the decades to come, I think we will realise we were standing in the foothills of the singularity, nothing less than the dawning of a new age for humanity." Bigger than the internet or mobile For Hassabis, AGI is the point at which computers can understand, learn, and carry out a wide range of tasks as well as or better than humans. He argues it should not be measured against advances such as the internet or mobile computing, because its impact could be far greater. "It is much more akin to the discovery of electricity or fire. If you stop to think about it, we've essentially found a way to make sand think. It's miraculous." Optimism paired with a warning For all that optimism, Hassabis cautioned that AI capabilities are advancing faster than society's ability to understand and manage the risks. He pointed to cybersecurity threats that already exist with today's frontier models, and added that future systems could introduce biological, nuclear, and other national security dangers. As AI grows more agentic and capable of improving itself, he argued, stronger technical safeguards will be required to keep humans in control. "On the horizon, we will need robust safeguards to maintain control of increasingly agentic, recursively self-improving systems, and tackle unknown issues that will only become clearer over time." Other leaders have sounded the alarm too The remarks come after a year in which, since ChatGPT's public launch in 2022, a string of AI leaders have warned that AGI could arrive sooner than expected. In January 2026, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said human-level AI could emerge within one to five years and warned that governments were underestimating the pace of development. Then, in June, Hassabis predicted AGI would arrive by 2030 and said society had "not long to prepare." A FINRA-style watchdog for frontier AI To address those concerns, Hassabis proposed creating a U.S. Frontier AI Standards Body modelled on the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, the private organisation that oversees U.S. brokerage firms. As he describes it, the federally supervised public-private partnership would be funded primarily by the AI industry and staffed by independent technical experts and open-source representatives to evaluate frontier AI models. "The rapid progress we're seeing in AI requires a new approach to testing frontier AI model capabilities that is dynamic, adaptable, and rigorous. The US is well positioned, given its economic and technical standing, to take the first step in developing such a framework." The proposal echoes similar calls from other prominent figures in the industry to build oversight for advanced AI. In May 2023, during a hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman called for a federal agency to license powerful AI systems and to require independent safety audits. More recently, last month, President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating a voluntary framework for reviewing advanced AI models before their release. That same month, Dario Amodei warned that AI is becoming too powerful and that safety rules akin to those of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are needed. A narrow window before AGI arrives Despite the growing push to regulate AI development, Hassabis said the world has only a limited window to agree on common standards before AGI arrives. "The future is not yet written, we must use this precious window before AGI arrives to shape this technology for the benefit of all humanity. What we collectively do now will determine how the next phase of civilisation unfolds. By safely stewarding AGI into the world, we can enter a new golden age of scientific discovery and progress, and usher in a bright future of incredible human flourishing." What this means for you • For everyday readers: If Hassabis is right, human-level AI could reshape your work, studies and daily decisions within this decade, on the scale that electricity and the internet once did. • On safety and trust: Advanced AI models are flagged as carrying cybersecurity, biological and nuclear risks, so the push for strict oversight and rules ties directly to ordinary people's digital safety. Questions & Answers 1. Who is Demis Hassabis? He is the chief executive officer of Google DeepMind. 2. What has he predicted about AGI? He says artificial general intelligence could arrive before the decade is out, probably within just a few years. 3. What did he compare AGI to? He said its impact would resemble the discovery of fire or electricity, not the internet or mobile computing. 4. What does AGI mean? It is the point at which computers can understand, learn and perform a wide range of tasks as well as or better than humans. 5. What risks did Hassabis warn about? He flagged cybersecurity threats with today's frontier models and warned that future systems could pose biological, nuclear and other national security risks. 6. What oversight did he propose? He proposed a U.S. Frontier AI Standards Body modelled on FINRA, funded primarily by the AI industry and staffed by independent experts. 7. What did Dario Amodei say? In January 2026 he said human-level AI could emerge within one to five years and warned governments were underestimating the pace. 8. What action did Donald Trump take on AI? Last month he signed an executive order creating a voluntary framework for reviewing advanced AI models before their release. https://trendkia.com/en/ai/insanon-jaisi-ai-aba-basa-kuchha-sala-dura-demis-hassabis-bole-yaha-aga-aura-bijali-ki-khoja-jaisa-badalava-laegi-7739 TrendKia — Har trend, sabse pehle.