// INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY, DIGITALISATION AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Artificial general intelligence could be just years away, with its transformative potential matched by the unprecedented threats it brings. From cyberattacks and disinformation to biological threats, advanced systems demand robust technical and societal safeguards AI advances are shifting the balance between opportunities and risks
Yoshua Bengio, professor, Université de Montréal, and scientific director, Mila
R ecent advances in general-purpose artificial intelligence have led me and many top researchers to revise our estimates of when human levels of broad cognitive competence will be achieved. Previously thought to be decades or even centuries away, we now believe human-level AI – often referred to as artificial general intelligence – could be developed within a decade, and possibly in just a few years. We have already crossed several surprising inflection points: AI now does much of the programming inside the companies that develop it and, crucially, has begun to take autonomous action, working without human oversight towards goals and controlling computers like people do. As the capabilities and agency of AI increase, so too does its potential to help humanity reach thrilling new heights. But if technical and societal safeguards are insufficient, our desire to achieve new advances could come at a huge cost. These developments require urgent action from G7 leaders. They need to recognise the coordinated and mindful approach of artificial general intelligence as a global priority. THE PATH TO AGI: VARYING SPEEDS OF PROGRESS The International AI Safety Report – a consensus project I chaired based on a mandate from 33 governments, as well as the United Nations, European Union and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development – identifies three scenarios regarding the pace of further capability advances: slow, rapid or extremely rapid. While timelines are uncertain, the possibility of shorter-term scenarios remains entirely plausible. The report also found that no currently known method provides strong safety assurances or guarantees, and we do not know how to make sure systems act as intended or secure them from malicious users. Until these problems are resolved, we are collectively exposed to increasingly concerning potential misuses by bad actors and loss-of-control scenarios.
68 // G7 CANADA: THE KANANASKIS SUMMIT 2025
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