“AGI — human-level cognition — is now two to three years away, down from a three-to-five-year estimate earlier in 2026: "It's soon. I'm updating nearer and nearer."”
Chair of Google DeepMind and Chief Scientist at Alphabet
Said Oct 21, 2026Deadline Dec 31, 2029WSJ Magazine, 'Why AI's Deepest Mind Believes the World Is About to Change Radically' (Innovator Awards profile by Ben Cohen), October 21, 2026
The 'two to three years' figure is WSJ's summary of Hassabis's position; his direct quotes are 'It's soon' and 'I'm updating nearer and nearer.' He judges AGI by an 'Einstein test' no current model passes, and his estimate has fallen from five-to-ten years in 2025 to 2030 in April 2026 to two-to-three years now.