A field guide to AI positions

Artificial superintelligence (ASI)

Dated sources are over 18 months old; other dates are unknown.

Publication dates and source age

Sources counted: 2

Newest dated source: 2003

Assessed at this edition's evidence cutoff: 2026-09-15. 18-month boundary: 2025-03-15.

Some publication dates are unknown; the newest dated source may not be the newest source overall.

Publication age does not tell us whether a claim is still valid. Reading an old source again does not make its publication date newer. An update date does not establish that the passage we used was updated.

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In plain language

Hypothetical AI far more capable than humans across many intellectual tasks, without a promised arrival date or outcome. [1]

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Limits & distinctions

Being more capable does not, by definition, make a system benevolent. Neither a date of arrival nor a probability of catastrophe follows from the word. [1]

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A fuller explanation

Artificial intelligence far beyond human performance across broad cognitive domains. Bostrom discusses its possible benefits and dangers as a prospective scenario. [1]

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How it relates to the map

A target of some pause proposals; it is not interchangeable with every present-day AI system. [2]

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https://theaiatlas.org/ideas/asi/

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Sources and what we read

  1. 1. Ethical Issues in Advanced Artificial Intelligence

    Source is over 18 months old.

    Publication dates and source age

    Sources counted: 1

    Newest dated source: 2003

    Assessed at this edition's evidence cutoff: 2026-09-15. 18-month boundary: 2025-03-15.

    Publication age does not tell us whether a claim is still valid. Reading an old source again does not make its publication date newer. An update date does not establish that the passage we used was updated.

    Read prospective discussion of superintelligence and paperclip goals. Philosophical scenarios, not observations of current systems.

  2. 2. Statement on Superintelligence

    Publication dates and source age

    Sources counted: 1

    Publication dates are unavailable.

    Assessed at this edition's evidence cutoff: 2026-09-15. 18-month boundary: 2025-03-15.

    Some publication dates are unknown; the newest dated source may not be the newest source overall.

    Publication age does not tell us whether a claim is still valid. Reading an old source again does not make its publication date newer. An update date does not establish that the passage we used was updated.

    The statement text was accessible. The dynamic signatory list was not exposed in the retrieved text; Bengio's signature is corroborated separately.

Edition and machine-readable evidence

Content version 0.20.0. Evidence cutoff 2026-09-15; this does not mean every source was read on that day.

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