A Note From Eric: As AI continues to advance, too many people are underestimating what’s preparing to hit us – and how quickly. That is why I will be holding my The Road to AGI Summit in just a couple of hours, at 1 p.m. Eastern time.

At the event, I will deliver a “futureproof” blueprint and reveal the name of my #1 stock pick for The Road to AGI. It’s an event you won’t want to miss. However, time is running out.

So, click here now to reserve your seat.

Hello, Reader.

Thomas Yeung here with today’s Smart Money.

In 1997, scientist and historian Jared Diamond published Guns, Germs, and Steel, a Pulitzer Prize-winning book that quickly became a staple in college courses and airport bookstands.

In it, he noted that modern humans have been around for over 50,000 years, but that civilizations have only existed since around 3,500 B.C.

And that may lead you to wonder, what changed? How did we go from tens of thousands of years as nomadic hunter-gatherers to where we are today?

Understanding these historical patterns can provide valuable insights into where we’ve come from and how we’ve evolved. Here at Smart Money, we often dive into global macro trends and cycles, from healthcare to precious metals. Recognizing meaningful patterns can help investors better anticipate what may lie ahead.

But what happens when we’re faced with something no one has ever seen before – a disruptive force that has no clear historical precedent?

Something like artificial general intelligence (AGI).

Let’s dive into that topic today…

Something the World Has Never Seen Before

Before we answer that looming question, let’s consider the jump to modern civilization. Most researchers, including Diamond, believe the tipping point came when humans began harnessing animals physically stronger than themselves.

By using tractable beasts like horses and oxen, ancient nomadic people were able to develop agriculture and create more food than they could consume at the moment… giving them the time to pursue other things, like trade, conquest, religion, and science.

In other words, we owe modern civilization to the “invention” of a technology that was physically superior to us.

So, what will happen when we harness something mentally smarter than ourselves?

And I’m not just talking about calculators or computers. These are just tools that enhance human intelligence… much like the hand-drawn plows and stone tools of prehistoric times. 

Instead, I’m referring to the equivalent of a horse-drawn plow. Something so powerful and game-changing that it triggers a new step change in human development. That something, of course, is AGI.

Once we develop AGI, it will mark the moment when we produce a technology that is smarter than we are, capable of thinking and acting for itself. Being smarter than its creators, it could then theoretically create even more clever versions of itself, and so on.

Perhaps it will happen by simulating the 100 billion neurons in a human brain; a supercomputer is slated to come online this year for that purpose. Or maybe it will take a hybrid approach of combining today’s large language models (LLMs) with other known AI techniques.

Either way, we know this moment is coming soon. Processing speeds are doubling every 18 to 24 months, and many tech analysts now believe we’re within five years of reaching AGI.

The Outcomes of AGI

Consider the obvious: We’ll have personal assistants that can anticipate what we want. Algorithms that can design everything from workflows to new drugs. Perhaps even chatbots that can spin up new novels or movies on demand. These are extensions of AI capabilities we see today.

But other logical by-products are far wilder. If an AI becomes smarter than humans, could it potentially develop a new AI that’s even smarter than itself? And what if we develop a way to connect humans with machines, much like how Elon Musk is attempting to with his neurotechnology company, Neuralink?

Some notable futurists – including Google AI visionary Ray Kurzweil – believe that AGI will allow us to build nanobots the size of blood cells that can help cure diseases, improve memory, and even prevent cognitive decline. Humans could theoretically then live hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

Then what? Without death or disease, what stops wealth and power accumulating among the select few? Would dictators rule indefinitely? What role will humans play if machines can do all the work?

Eric will be answering many of these questions in a special video presentation in just a couple of hours. So, this is your last chance to reserve your seat for his The Road to AGI Summit. As a reminder, that event begins today at 1 p.m. Eastern time.

I urge you to grab your seat while there is still time. All you need to do is click here and you’ll be signed up for the event.

Regards,

Thomas Yeung

Markets Analyst, InvestorPlace