According to LessWrong, the term artificial general intelligence, or AGI, has become more of a liability than an asset in serious discussions about AI's future. The reason is straightforward: today's AI systems excel in some domains while having clear limitations in others, creating a jagged capability profile that doesn't fit traditional AGI definitions. When AI was years away from human-level performance across any area, AGI worked as shorthand for a distant milestone. But now, different systems meet different criteria that researchers once thought would arrive together—making the term more confusing than clarifying. The post argues for more precise language instead: discuss specific capabilities like automated AI research or superhuman adaptability rather than relying on an umbrella term that now means something different to everyone using it.

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