Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis says society may be moving toward an “AI singularity,” describing the current era as potentially the “foothills” of that milestone. Speaking during Google I/O’s keynote presentation, Hassabis frames the moment as significant for humanity, arguing that Google’s AI research and products could help unlock what he presents as the potential of artificial general intelligence (AGI). The comments position the broader progress in AI as a reason the singularity could be closer than previously thought. In coverage of his remarks, Business Insider and The Verge both characterize Hassabis as linking advances showcased at the conference to longer-term transformative outcomes. Both accounts emphasize Hassabis’s view of the near-term period as a precursor phase rather than an endpoint, using language suggesting early stages of a rapid shift in capabilities. Neither source disputes the concept directly, but both report his claim that accelerating AI progress could lead to fundamentally new capabilities over time.