How ready are we for AGI? What once seemed like science fiction is now knocking at our door. Artificial General Intelligence,AGI,is no longer a distant dream. It’s taking shape in labs around the world, moving from theory to early reality. AGI refers to AI systems that can do any intellectual task a human can,learning, reasoning, creating, understanding across languages and domains. It could change everything: how we work, govern, learn, even how we relate to one another. And yet, we’re not ready. Not even close.

While tech companies like OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and Anthropic make rapid strides toward more powerful AI, governments and global institutions are struggling to keep up,technically, legally, and ethically.

The Rise of Proto-AGI: We’re Already in the Transition

The most advanced AI systems today,like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude,are showing signs of what many call proto-AGI. They’re not fully general yet, but they’re moving fast in that direction.

Take a look at what they can already do:

• OpenAI’s GPT-4.5, with memory features, can remember your preferences over time, follow long conversations, and adapt to your style.
• Google’s Gemini 1.5 Pro can handle text and images together,like turning a hand-drawn sketch into working code or analyzing complex scientific visuals.

These systems don’t yet match the flexibility of the human mind,but they’re getting there. And their growing power makes one thing clear: preparing for AGI isn’t optional. It’s urgent.

Three Power Centers, One Fragmented Landscape

Right now, AGI development is dominated by three global players, each with its own strengths and blind spots:

• The United States is home to the leading AI labs. But its regulatory system is scattered,different states, different rules, and no unified national approach. Key questions around safety, intellectual property, and ethical use remain unresolved.
• China is investing heavily through centralized planning. Tech giants like Baidu and Alibaba are advancing quickly. China emphasizes ethics on paper, but critics point to limited transparency in how these models are trained and used.
• The European Union leads in regulation. Its AI Act is the first major legal framework designed to assess and manage AI risks. But the EU lags behind in core AI innovation and still relies heavily on technologies developed elsewhere.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin made an unannounced appearance at Google I/O 2025, joining DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis on stage. During this session, Brin stated, “We fully intend that Gemini will be the very first AGI,” signaling a significant shift in Google’s public commitment to AGI development.

Google unveiled Gemini 2.5, its latest AI model, showcasing enhanced reasoning capabilities, multimodal understanding, and improved conversational skills. While Gemini 2.5 represents a substantial advancement, it is acknowledged that it does not yet meet the criteria for AGI. The model includes features like “Deep Think,” an enhanced reasoning mode designed to tackle complex problems more effectively. As of May 28, 2025, Alphabet Inc. (GOOG) is trading at $174.19 USD, with a slight increase of 0.12% from the previous close. The company’s market capitalization stands at approximately $1.88 trillion, reflecting investor confidence amid its intensified focus on AI and AGI initiatives.

 Projected AGI Timeline

Both Brin and Hassabis suggested that AGI could be achieved before 2030, reflecting a growing consensus within the tech industry about the accelerating pace of AI development.

4. Strategic Shift in Google’s AI Approach

Historically, Google maintained a cautious stance on AGI. However, recent developments, including Brin’s active involvement and public statements, indicate a strategic pivot toward aggressively pursuing AGI. This shift aligns Google more directly with competitors like OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI in the race to develop AGI.

Despite individual efforts, there’s no global agreement or shared framework on how to build, control, or even understand AGI. That’s a risky gap.

Are We Ready? Four Areas That Need Urgent Attention

To assess our global readiness for AGI, we need to look at four key domains,and right now, none are where they need to be:

• Safety and Technical Alignment
  Research into making AGI safe and understandable is moving forward, but too slowly. While top companies have safety teams, most countries don’t have public institutions focused on AGI-specific risks. There’s a real danger that capabilities will outpace our ability to control them.
• Laws and Governance
  Most governments don’t have the tools, experts, or legal structures to evaluate or regulate AGI systems effectively. Some countries (like the UK and Canada) are experimenting with oversight models, but global coordination is nearly nonexistent.
• Public Awareness
  The general public isn’t getting the information they need. Media coverage tends to swing between doom and hype, while serious discussions remain locked in tech and policy circles. For something this important, informed democratic engagement is essential,and sorely lacking.
• Equity and Representation
  Right now, a handful of corporations in a few countries are shaping AGI. That means the values and perspectives built into these systems may reflect a very narrow slice of humanity. Marginalized voices,from the Global South, Indigenous communities, and underrepresented regions,are almost entirely absent.

What We Need Now: Global Cooperation and Accountability

AGI isn’t just another tech trend,it’s more like nuclear energy or climate change. It could uplift humanity, or it could destabilize it. That’s why we need global collaboration, not just competition.

Several ideas are already on the table:

• Create a global AGI governance body, similar to the International Atomic Energy Agency, to set safety standards, audit major systems, and mediate conflicts.
• Use existing global institutions, like the UN or OECD, to begin building frameworks for ethical AI development.
• Demand transparency from tech companies, including open research on safety, independent audits, and accountability beyond just shareholders or national agendas.

If AGI systems are going to help shape our societies, their creators must answer to all of us,not just boardrooms or governments.

In the End, AGI Is a Mirror

The rise of AGI isn’t just about machines,it’s about us. It reflects how prepared we are, how wise we can be, and how much we value inclusion, foresight, and shared responsibility.

Yes, systems like Gemini and GPT-4.5 are amazing. But they also highlight a painful truth: our current readiness is fragmented, reactive, and insufficient.

To navigate this moment wisely, we must:

• Develop clear technical and ethical guidelines,
• Build independent safety institutions,
• Educate the public,
• And above all, commit to global cooperation.

AGI could become the most powerful tool in human history. Whether it helps us thrive,or threatens our future,depends on the choices we make today.