Anthropic's president says the idea of AGI may already be outdated

In a thought-provoking interview with CNBC, Daniela Amodei, co-founder and president of Anthropic, challenged the relevance of the term 'artificial general intelligence' (AGI). Once a focal point of Silicon Valley's ambition, Amodei argues that the concept may no longer effectively capture the trajectory of AI development. Reflecting on the term's origins, Amodei noted, "AGI was initially a useful concept for gauging when machines might achieve human-like intelligence." However, she believes this framework is becoming increasingly obsolete. She pointed out that by certain definitions, AI systems may have already surpassed human capabilities in specific domains, such as software development, where Anthropic's own Claude model can generate code comparable to that produced by professional engineers. Despite these advancements, Amodei emphasized that AI still struggles with tasks that humans manage with ease. This duality raises questions about declaring any universal benchmark for intelligence. "Claude still can't perform many tasks that are second nature to humans," she remarked. Amodei's insights come at a time when Anthropic, alongside its competitors, is heavily investing in powerful AI models and the infrastructure necessary for their operation. While some skeptics argue that achieving true general intelligence requires major breakthroughs, she remains optimistic about ongoing progress, stating, "We don't know what breakthroughs are still needed — nothing slows down until it does." Rather than fixating solely on the elusive goal of AGI, Amodei believes the focus should shift towards how organizations integrate advanced AI systems and how quickly society adapts to these changes. She highlighted that even as AI continues to evolve, practical challenges related to change management and value assessment can slow down adoption. Ultimately, she argues that the future of AI will be defined not by its adherence to the AGI label but by its practical applications and societal impact.