The whispers started subtly, a low hum beneath the roar of Silicon Valley’s ambition. AGI – Artificial General Intelligence, the holy grail of AI, a machine with human-level intelligence – was no longer just a technological pursuit. It had become something else, a belief system, a driver of investment, a justification for unprecedented power grabs. And, according to a new subscriber-only eBook by Will Douglas Heaven, it had morphed into a consequential conspiracy theory.

The allure of AGI is undeniable. Imagine a world where machines can solve our most pressing problems, from climate change to disease. This vision fueled decades of AI research, but somewhere along the way, the pursuit of AGI became detached from reality. As Heaven’s eBook details, the promise of AGI became a self-fulfilling prophecy, driving billions in investment towards companies claiming to be on the cusp of achieving it.

The eBook, available exclusively to subscribers, argues that the "AGI conspiracy" isn't about shadowy figures meeting in secret. Instead, it's a more insidious phenomenon: the collective belief, often fueled by hype and misinformation, that AGI is just around the corner. This belief, Heaven contends, has allowed tech companies to amass vast amounts of data, influence policy, and shape public perception, all under the guise of pursuing a benevolent, world-changing technology.

One example highlighted in the eBook is the rapid proliferation of large language models (LLMs). While impressive in their ability to generate text and code, LLMs are far from AGI. They excel at pattern recognition and prediction, but lack genuine understanding or consciousness. Yet, the breathless media coverage and inflated claims surrounding these models have contributed to the perception that AGI is within reach. This perception, in turn, justifies the massive resources poured into their development, often at the expense of other, potentially more beneficial AI research.

"The problem isn't that AGI is impossible," Heaven writes in the eBook. "It's that the relentless focus on it has distorted the AI landscape, leading to a concentration of power and resources in the hands of a few companies, while neglecting the ethical and societal implications of the AI technologies we already have."

The eBook delves into the history of AI hype, tracing the roots of the AGI obsession back to the early days of AI research. It examines the role of venture capital in fueling the AGI narrative, and the ways in which tech companies have used the promise of AGI to attract talent and influence public opinion. It also explores the potential consequences of this "AGI conspiracy," including the widening gap between the AI haves and have-nots, and the erosion of trust in AI technology.

The eBook also references Heaven's previous work, including "The great AI hype correction of 2025," which offers a sobering perspective on the current state of AI. It suggests that the recent wave of AI enthusiasm may be followed by a period of disillusionment, as the limitations of current AI technologies become more apparent.

Looking ahead, the eBook calls for a more critical and nuanced approach to AI development. It urges researchers, policymakers, and the public to move beyond the hype and focus on the real-world impact of AI technologies. It also emphasizes the importance of ethical considerations, such as fairness, transparency, and accountability, in the design and deployment of AI systems. The eBook suggests that a more responsible and sustainable approach to AI development is essential to ensure that AI benefits all of humanity, not just a select few. The future of AI, it argues, depends on our ability to see through the AGI mirage and focus on building AI that is both powerful and beneficial.