Borish predicts artificial intelligence will surpass general intelligence in '25

It was designed to assist humanity, but longtime AI strategist David Borish predicts artificial intelligence will surpass human capabilities in general intelligence sometime this year.

It's a concept that's long been popular in Hollywood, with such films as "I, Robot," "The Matrix" and "The Terminator" having all created storylines that have machines taking over.

"While some might consider it bold, I'm predicting that 2025 will be the year when AI effectively passes any human test," Borish said. "The advancement in reasoning models we've seen in 2024 has convinced me that we're on the cusp of this breakthrough.

Borish, based in New York City, is currently working with former NFL/CFL player Brandon London on a project called "Jocks and Bots," a show that combines sports, technology, and culture. It features London and Borish, along with Aila, an AI-generated female co-host that's believed to be the first of its kind.

A challenge with AI, Borish said, is the technology is ever-changing. For example, less than a year ago Aila wasn't visual -- just a voice that sounded more like a robot.

The rapid progression of AI makes it very difficult to see how much better -- or smarter -- artificial intelligence can become beforehand.

"What we don't know is when something becomes smarter than the smartest human that ever existed, we don't know what we don't know," Borish said. "How do we know something we've never been able to experience, meaning an entity that has an IQ smarter than the smartest IQ that's ever been.

"All of those futurists who predict the future are being hired to write the scripts so none of that is far-fetched in any of those movies. Especially when you look now at the number of robots being built, the robots are attached to AI, the AI becomes smarter than us and now the robot technically has a body and it has a brain smarter than a human."

Sam Altman, the chief executive officer of OpenAI, said in a recent blog post that the industry knows how to build AGI (artificial general intelligence) and is now working on superintelligence.

"Superintelligent tools could massively accelerate scientific discovery and innovation well beyond what we are capable of doing on our own," Altman said. "And in turn massively increase abundance and prosperity."

But with that, Borish said, comes tremendous culpability.

"The key to success will be maintaining a balance between innovation and responsibility," he said. "Ensuring that as AI becomes more powerful, it remains aligned with human values and interests.

"As someone deeply involved in guiding organizations through this transformation, I'm excited to see how these predictions unfold and how they'll shape our collective future."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 7, 2024.

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press