Beneficial AGI Summit (Feb 27th - March 1st): Leading global minds in Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) converge to build common understanding on technology strategies, social implications, ethics and regulation

• The Beneficial AGI Summit and Unconference (BGI), hosted by SingularityNET, HyperCycle and TrueAGI, will be a  convergence of the brightest minds, thought leaders and experts in the world of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). 
• Topics to be discussed include the ethical and practical considerations of developing AGI, how to stay safe at a time when government regulations can’t keep up with the pace of innovation, and the benefits of virtuous information-sharing cycles between AGI and humans. 
• The event will include a wide range of key players across the industry including Dr. Ben Goertzel, CEO of SingularityNET and George Gilder, Co-Founder of Discovery Institute. 

Dr. Ben Goertzel, one of the original founders of the field of artificial general intelligence (AGI) and a current leader in efforts to guide AGI development toward broad human benefit, has announced a meeting of the biggest names in the AI and AGI fields. Taking place from 27th February to 1st March, The BGI Summit & Unconference promises to be the scene-setting event for the AGI landscape in 2024. 

Experts agree that we’re close to a breakthrough with the creation of AGI, and we need to be ready for what we do once it is reached. This technology can be used for good, bringing humanity closer to solving a range of issues including health and environmental crises, but it’s also a tool that needs to be wielded with care. The Summit will aim to foster collaboration and discussion within the AGI community so that when these issues arise, we are already prepared for them. 

The event will take place in person in Panama City and it will be streamed for online participants, allowing the greatest voices across the globe to share their thoughts on key topics, regardless of location. The event will commence with the BGI Summit that will take place from February 27th to 28th. From February 29th to March 1^stthe Unconference then begins; a participant-driven event that will allow all those involved to share their ideas and steer discussions in parallel working sessions around a common theme. The debates held at the BGI Summit will build constructive dialogue in a sector that will, in the coming years, define the future of humanity. 

Dr. Ben Goertzel, CEO of SingularityNET commented “We are now in a remarkable and pivotal moment in human history, potentially just years away from the creation of AGI systems with capability at the human level and shortly thereafter beyond. The potential for beneficial outcomes is tremendous, but there are no guarantees, and it behooves us at this point to gather together our energies and insights so as to maximize the odds that the coming transition is a positive one.” 

He added, “I believe that the path to a beneficial AGI future does not lie in the hands of a handful of major corporations or government agencies, but in humanity as a whole… and so my aim in convening the BGI-24 event has been to pull together a rich diversity of open-minded, forward-looking thinkers from around the globe to think together regarding how best to chart the next steps for the development and rollout of AGI technologies in an open, transparent, decentralized and ethical manner.” 

The BGI Summit and Unconference will explore a number of different issues with a series of talks, panels, workshops, and discussions. Renowned experts within the field of artificial intelligence, including David Hanson (CEO, Hanson Robotics), Dr. Ben Goertzel (CEO of SingularityNET) and George Gilder (Co-Founder, Discovery Institute), will cover key topics including: 

●      Recursive AGI Self-Improvement: Within this talk, business leaders will consider the benefits, as well as risks, of AGI using recursive self-improvement. There are also considerations if we choose to allow AGI to not learn from itself, so this conversation will open the doors for both sides of the argument to be heard.  

●      Virtuous Cycle: Once we reach AGI, the next step is deciding what to do with it. One such idea is allowing the early-stage AGI systems to be harnessed to help advance the consciousness of human beings. This cycle will help to improve the technology but also mankind as a whole. 

●      Open and Decentralized Development: What are the risks versus benefits of early-stage AGI technology being open source? What are the risks versus benefits of it being implemented on a decentralized infrastructure like a blockchain? 

●      Continuing to Innovate While Regulation Follows Behind: How can we best manage the mismatch between the slow pace of evolution of government regulations and the fast pace of evolution of AI toward AGI? 

Dr. Goertzel continued “The BGI-24 participants include a number of scientists and entrepreneurs who, like myself, have been working on and thinking about these matters for decades – and also young people from various disciplines and regions bringing fresh perspectives. The next stages in the development of AGI involve many complex unknowns and none of us has all the answers, but by coming together in an optimistic, open-minded and open-hearted way we can collectively chart a plan forward toward powerful, beneficial AGI and build alliances capable of guiding execution of this plan.” 

There are still spaces to attend the online Unconference event (February 29th - March 1st) free of charge. More information on the summit and how to apply for tickets can be found here: https://bgi24.ai/

About SingularityNET 

SingularityNET is the world’s leading decentralized AI Platform and hosts a fully-fledged AI ecosystem with a rich community all working toward the global distribution of AI. It is the first and only decentralized platform allowing AIs to cooperate and coordinate at scale while enabling everyone to take advantage of a global network of AI algorithms, services, and agents. No longer must AI technology exist in silos, only capable of operating within a specific company, infrastructure, or industry.