THE FUTURE USUALLY ARRIVES SOONER THAN YOU’RE READY FOR IT: A Scientist Says the Singularity Will Happen by 2031.

There’s at least one expert who believes that “the singularity”—the moment when artificial intelligence surpasses the control of humans—could be just a few years away. That’s a lot shorter than current predictions regarding the timeline of AI dominance, especially considering that AI dominance is not exactly guaranteed in the first place.

Ben Goertzel, CEO of SingularityNET—who holds a Ph.D. from Temple University and has worked as a leader of Humanity+ and the Artificial General Intelligence Society—told Decrypt that he believes artificial general intelligence (AGI) is three to eight years away. AGI is the term for AI that can truly perform tasks just as well has humans, and it’s a prerequisite for the singularity soon following.

Verner Vinge pegged it as happening in 2025. When — if? — it arrives, few will be prepared for it because we still don’t really know what it is or how it will behave.