AI pathways to AGI: 7 leading theories experts are betting on

The race to artificial general intelligence (AGI) is progressing along multiple potential pathways, with AI researchers and tech companies placing strategic bets on which approach will ultimately succeed. Understanding these possible development trajectories provides critical insight into how today’s conventional AI systems might evolve into human-level intelligence or potentially beyond, representing one of the most consequential technological transformations on the horizon.

The big picture: AI researchers have identified seven distinct pathways that could lead from current AI capabilities to artificial general intelligence, with the S-curve pattern emerging as the most probable development trajectory.

Key development pathways:

1. Linear path (slow-and-steady): AI advances incrementally through continuous scaling, engineering improvements, and iterative development.
2. S-curve path (plateau and resurgence): Following historical technology development patterns, AI progress plateaus temporarily before breakthroughs enable significant leaps forward.
3. Hockey stick path (slow start, then rapid growth): Development proceeds gradually until reaching a critical inflection point that fundamentally reimagines AI capabilities.
4. Rambling path (erratic fluctuations): Progress follows an uncertain trajectory marked by cycles of hype followed by disillusionment.
5. Moonshot path (sudden leap): AGI emerges through an unexpected, radical discontinuity in advancement rather than incremental progress.
6. Never-ending path (perpetual muddling): A scenario where AGI remains perpetually just beyond reach despite continued progress.
7. Dead-end path (permanent impasse): The possibility that AGI cannot be achieved through any technological approach.

Expert consensus: AI researchers generally consider the S-curve the most probable development pathway, aligning with historical patterns in high-tech innovation.

The long shot: The moonshot pathway is widely viewed as the least likely route to AGI, with researchers comparing its probability to extremely improbable coincidences.

Why this matters: The pathway to AGI will determine not only when human-level AI might emerge but also whether superintelligence (ASI) – capabilities surpassing human intellect – could follow, potentially transforming society, economies, and humanity’s relationship with technology.