Could Artificial General Intelligence Be a Myth?

The article challenges the common narrative that artificial intelligence (AI) will inevitably lead to artificial general intelligence (AGI) that mirrors human general cognitive ability.
It suggests that “general intelligence” in humans may not be a single cognitive engine but rather a coherence imposed on specialized systems that are interconnected by a lived self.
The human brain is viewed as a modular system where unification of intelligence comes from autobiographical experience rather than computational methods.
Models like large language models demonstrate coherence without an interior life, suggesting that true intelligence depends on an individual’s lived experiences and a sense of self.
The article posits a risk that humans may adjust themselves to an impossible standard by seeking a form of AGI that can never exist.
If AGI never materializes, humans could face risks such as losing inner psychological processes like frustration and humility, which arise from grappling with uncertainty.
Instead of a new, general mind, what may emerge is a cognitive environment with answers without an owner, reducing human interiority to a rare resource.
The focal question becomes how to preserve the psychological conditions that enable genuine human thinking rather than relying on external AI prompts.