John Carmack's talk at Upper Bound 2025 focused on the complexities of AGI development. He highlighted the immense challenge of bridging the gap between current AI capabilities and true general intelligence, emphasizing the need for new conceptual breakthroughs rather than just scaling existing models. Carmack expressed concern over the tendency to overestimate short-term progress while underestimating long-term challenges, advocating for a more realistic approach to AGI research. He also discussed potential risks associated with increasingly powerful AI systems.
In a tweet dated October 28, 2023, legendary game programmer John Carmack announced his upcoming participation in the Upper Bound 2025 conference. He expressed considerable enthusiasm for this engagement, characterizing it as a "rare public appearance" where he anticipates delving deep into the intricacies of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). Carmack's tweet explicitly states his intention to discuss the path towards achieving AGI, encompassing not only the theoretical underpinnings but also practical considerations such as the requisite hardware and software infrastructure necessary for its realization. This suggests a comprehensive exploration of the subject, moving beyond mere speculation and touching upon the tangible engineering challenges involved. His phrasing, "my current thinking on the path to AGI," implies that the talk will reflect his latest insights and perspectives on this rapidly evolving field, potentially incorporating recent advancements and shifting paradigms within AGI research. The tweet also mentions that more details regarding the conference will be forthcoming, indicating that specific information about the presentation's format, duration, and other logistical aspects will be revealed at a later date. Given Carmack's renowned expertise in software engineering, particularly in areas like graphics rendering and virtual reality, which hold relevance to AGI development, his talk promises a valuable and insightful contribution to the ongoing discourse surrounding the pursuit of artificial general intelligence.
Summary of Comments ( 221 )
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44070042
HN users discuss John Carmack's 2012 talk on "Independent Game Development." Several commenters reminisce about Carmack's influence and clear communication style. Some highlight his emphasis on optimization and low-level programming as key to achieving performance, particularly in resource-constrained environments like mobile at the time. Others note his advocacy for smaller, focused teams and "lean methodologies," contrasting it with the bloat they perceive in modern game development. A few commenters mention specific technical insights they gleaned from Carmack's talks or express disappointment that similar direct, technical presentations are less common today. One user questions whether Carmack's approach is still relevant given advancements in hardware and tools, sparking a debate about the enduring value of optimization and the trade-offs between performance and developer time.
The Hacker News post titled "John Carmack talk at Upper Bound 2025" links to a tweet announcing John Carmack's upcoming talk. The discussion on Hacker News is brief, consisting of only three comments, so a detailed analysis of compelling arguments isn't possible.
The first comment humorously points out the futuristic date of 2025 (the tweet was from 2012, predicting a 2025 talk) and how Carmack's predictions often involve extended timelines. It also jokes about how the date aligns with potential advancements in rocketry, a field Carmack is involved in.
The second comment simply expresses excitement and anticipation for the talk.
The third comment observes that the linked tweet was from 2012, making it old news. It notes that Carmack did end up speaking at the 2025 Game Developers Conference, subtly correcting the initial interpretation of the linked tweet, and shares a link to that later talk's video. This comment effectively closes the loop on the somewhat misleading title of the Hacker News post.