NewsArtificial IntelligenceAs AI advances, the meaning of artificial general intelligence remains murkyTesting for AGI may not be the best measure of AIs abilities and impacts A display at the March 2025 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona touts advances in artificial intelligence. The goal of artificial general intelligence, however, remains ill-defined and controversial.Josep Lago/AFP via Getty ImagesBy Lauren Leffer42 seconds agoWhen Chinese AI startup DeepSeek burst onto the scene in January, it sparked intense chatter about its efficient and cost-effective approach to generative AI. But like its U.S. competitors, DeepSeeks main goal is murkier than just efficiency: The company aims to create the first true artificial general intelligence, or AGI.For years, AI developers from small startups to big tech companies have been racing toward this elusive endpoint. AGI, they say, would mark a critical turning point, enabling computer systems to replace human workers, making AI more trustworthy than human expertise and positioning artificial intelligence as the ultimate tool for societal advancement.