Blaise Agüera y Arcas
@blaiseaguera.bsky.social
CTO of Technology & Society at Google, working on fundamental AI research and exploring the nature and origins of intelligence.
Pinned
In 1981, my father brought home my first computer, a Texas Instruments 99/4A. He was convinced computing would change the world. As "What Is Intelligence?" arrives in bookstores today, I’m reminded of how right he was.
Really enjoyed my conversation with Dan Faggella on evolution's arrow of time. From bacteria to eukaryotes, solitary humans to societies—each transition creates something richer and more complex, even as its earlier forms persist.
November 17, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Really enjoyed my conversation with Dan Faggella on evolution's arrow of time. From bacteria to eukaryotes, solitary humans to societies—each transition creates something richer and more complex, even as its earlier forms persist.
Thank you @johnthornhill.bsky.social and the @financialtimes.com for the lovely and thoughtful review of “What Is Intelligence?”— and for engaging so deeply with the book’s central questions on life, intelligence, and human identity.
Read the full review: bit.ly/4r0tYED
Read the full review: bit.ly/4r0tYED
November 15, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Thank you @johnthornhill.bsky.social and the @financialtimes.com for the lovely and thoughtful review of “What Is Intelligence?”— and for engaging so deeply with the book’s central questions on life, intelligence, and human identity.
Read the full review: bit.ly/4r0tYED
Read the full review: bit.ly/4r0tYED
Reposted by Blaise Agüera y Arcas
How the brain’s ability to model creates explosions in intelligence, from @blaiseaguera.bsky.social's Long Now Talk.
November 7, 2025 at 8:10 PM
How the brain’s ability to model creates explosions in intelligence, from @blaiseaguera.bsky.social's Long Now Talk.
Seattle friends: Join me on Nov 18 at Town Hall @townhallseattle.bsky.social, where I’ll dive into the research breakthroughs that led to “What Is Intelligence?” (out from @mitpress.bsky.social & Antikythera).
Would love to see you! I’ll stick around to sign books and chat.
Would love to see you! I’ll stick around to sign books and chat.
November 10, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Seattle friends: Join me on Nov 18 at Town Hall @townhallseattle.bsky.social, where I’ll dive into the research breakthroughs that led to “What Is Intelligence?” (out from @mitpress.bsky.social & Antikythera).
Would love to see you! I’ll stick around to sign books and chat.
Would love to see you! I’ll stick around to sign books and chat.
Reposted by Blaise Agüera y Arcas
11/18 at 7:30 PM | Author and AI researcher @blaiseaguera.bsky.social asks what intelligence really is, and how AI’s emergence is a natural consequence of evolution.
🎟️ Get tickets: buff.ly/n3UsUuk
🎟️ Get tickets: buff.ly/n3UsUuk
October 30, 2025 at 8:02 PM
11/18 at 7:30 PM | Author and AI researcher @blaiseaguera.bsky.social asks what intelligence really is, and how AI’s emergence is a natural consequence of evolution.
🎟️ Get tickets: buff.ly/n3UsUuk
🎟️ Get tickets: buff.ly/n3UsUuk
Friends in Chicago: I hope you'll join me at @seminarycoopbooks.bsky.social bookstore on Nov 11 to explore the nature of life and intelligence.
I'll share more about the story behind "What Is Intelligence?" (out via @mitpress.bsky.social & Antikythera), followed by a Q&A and book signing.
I'll share more about the story behind "What Is Intelligence?" (out via @mitpress.bsky.social & Antikythera), followed by a Q&A and book signing.
October 29, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Friends in Chicago: I hope you'll join me at @seminarycoopbooks.bsky.social bookstore on Nov 11 to explore the nature of life and intelligence.
I'll share more about the story behind "What Is Intelligence?" (out via @mitpress.bsky.social & Antikythera), followed by a Q&A and book signing.
I'll share more about the story behind "What Is Intelligence?" (out via @mitpress.bsky.social & Antikythera), followed by a Q&A and book signing.
Reposted by Blaise Agüera y Arcas
We’re proud to announce the 2025-26 Distinguished Speaker Series!
Join us for stimulating talks from leading data science and AI researchers exploring and expanding fundamental methods and applications that transform large and complex datasets into knowledge and action
🧵(1/4)
Join us for stimulating talks from leading data science and AI researchers exploring and expanding fundamental methods and applications that transform large and complex datasets into knowledge and action
🧵(1/4)
October 17, 2025 at 2:42 PM
We’re proud to announce the 2025-26 Distinguished Speaker Series!
Join us for stimulating talks from leading data science and AI researchers exploring and expanding fundamental methods and applications that transform large and complex datasets into knowledge and action
🧵(1/4)
Join us for stimulating talks from leading data science and AI researchers exploring and expanding fundamental methods and applications that transform large and complex datasets into knowledge and action
🧵(1/4)
Thank you Vishal Mathur for your thoughtful questions on AGI, creativity in the age of AI, and the results of testing LLMs for theory of mind.
You can read excerpts of my interview in Vishal’s “Neural Dispatch” Substack and @hindustan-times.bsky.social: bit.ly/431DgGl
You can read excerpts of my interview in Vishal’s “Neural Dispatch” Substack and @hindustan-times.bsky.social: bit.ly/431DgGl
October 27, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Thank you Vishal Mathur for your thoughtful questions on AGI, creativity in the age of AI, and the results of testing LLMs for theory of mind.
You can read excerpts of my interview in Vishal’s “Neural Dispatch” Substack and @hindustan-times.bsky.social: bit.ly/431DgGl
You can read excerpts of my interview in Vishal’s “Neural Dispatch” Substack and @hindustan-times.bsky.social: bit.ly/431DgGl
DNA sequences are computer code! It was a pleasure to explore John Von Neumann's theory on life as a form of computation and the lessons we can learn from modern AI systems with Tim Scarfe on Machine Learning Street Talk: bit.ly/4nreMO7
Thank you for the thoughtful questions!
Thank you for the thoughtful questions!
October 24, 2025 at 4:12 PM
DNA sequences are computer code! It was a pleasure to explore John Von Neumann's theory on life as a form of computation and the lessons we can learn from modern AI systems with Tim Scarfe on Machine Learning Street Talk: bit.ly/4nreMO7
Thank you for the thoughtful questions!
Thank you for the thoughtful questions!
The most momentous shift in our understanding of the universe arguably predated Copernicus. The breakthrough wasn't moving the origin of the coordinate system from the Earth to the Sun, but the radical 6th century BCE idea that Earth floats in space like other celestial bodies.
October 20, 2025 at 2:52 PM
The most momentous shift in our understanding of the universe arguably predated Copernicus. The breakthrough wasn't moving the origin of the coordinate system from the Earth to the Sun, but the radical 6th century BCE idea that Earth floats in space like other celestial bodies.
In a thoughtfully written essay for @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social, neuroscientist Patrick House weaves together a narrative of lyrebirds, alpine parrots, shyness, curiosity, the uniquely human activity of pointing a finger, and the scientific method.
October 16, 2025 at 4:59 PM
In a thoughtfully written essay for @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social, neuroscientist Patrick House weaves together a narrative of lyrebirds, alpine parrots, shyness, curiosity, the uniquely human activity of pointing a finger, and the scientific method.
What do we truly mean when we talk about agency and free will? And could AI models have these qualities?
In my new book “What Is Intelligence?,” I offer a perspective on how building intelligent machines forces us to confront deep questions about consciousness and our own minds.
In my new book “What Is Intelligence?,” I offer a perspective on how building intelligent machines forces us to confront deep questions about consciousness and our own minds.
October 14, 2025 at 3:18 PM
What do we truly mean when we talk about agency and free will? And could AI models have these qualities?
In my new book “What Is Intelligence?,” I offer a perspective on how building intelligent machines forces us to confront deep questions about consciousness and our own minds.
In my new book “What Is Intelligence?,” I offer a perspective on how building intelligent machines forces us to confront deep questions about consciousness and our own minds.
Reposted by Blaise Agüera y Arcas
To answer to the question "what is intelligence?" @blaiseaguera.bsky.social connects the evolutionary dots between life, computation, and symbiogenesis in the latest Long Now Talk:
youtu.be/KhSJuqDUJME?...
youtu.be/KhSJuqDUJME?...
Blaise Agüera y Arcas | What is Intelligence? | Long Now Talks
YouTube video by The Long Now Foundation
youtu.be
October 9, 2025 at 10:58 PM
To answer to the question "what is intelligence?" @blaiseaguera.bsky.social connects the evolutionary dots between life, computation, and symbiogenesis in the latest Long Now Talk:
youtu.be/KhSJuqDUJME?...
youtu.be/KhSJuqDUJME?...
We can't fly to the moon or transplant organs alone. But when we work together, our intelligence achieves extraordinary breakthroughs.
Grateful to Berkman Klein Center for hosting my conversation with Alex Pascal on the social nature of intelligence – and for the nice photos.
Grateful to Berkman Klein Center for hosting my conversation with Alex Pascal on the social nature of intelligence – and for the nice photos.
October 10, 2025 at 3:09 PM
We can't fly to the moon or transplant organs alone. But when we work together, our intelligence achieves extraordinary breakthroughs.
Grateful to Berkman Klein Center for hosting my conversation with Alex Pascal on the social nature of intelligence – and for the nice photos.
Grateful to Berkman Klein Center for hosting my conversation with Alex Pascal on the social nature of intelligence – and for the nice photos.
It was a pleasure to join my friend @bbratton.bsky.social of Antikythera as a guest on @drbriankeating.bsky.social’s podcast, Into The Impossible, to explore the computational nature of intelligence and life.
October 8, 2025 at 2:32 PM
It was a pleasure to join my friend @bbratton.bsky.social of Antikythera as a guest on @drbriankeating.bsky.social’s podcast, Into The Impossible, to explore the computational nature of intelligence and life.
I hope one day more people will understand that AI’s early breakthroughs were deeply connected to neuroscience. It was a pleasure to discuss the history of AI and more on @closertotruth.bsky.social with Robert Lawrence Kuhn.
September 27, 2025 at 2:40 AM
I hope one day more people will understand that AI’s early breakthroughs were deeply connected to neuroscience. It was a pleasure to discuss the history of AI and more on @closertotruth.bsky.social with Robert Lawrence Kuhn.
In 1981, my father brought home my first computer, a Texas Instruments 99/4A. He was convinced computing would change the world. As "What Is Intelligence?" arrives in bookstores today, I’m reminded of how right he was.
September 23, 2025 at 11:08 PM
In 1981, my father brought home my first computer, a Texas Instruments 99/4A. He was convinced computing would change the world. As "What Is Intelligence?" arrives in bookstores today, I’m reminded of how right he was.
Reposted by Blaise Agüera y Arcas
In "What Is Intelligence?", @blaiseaguera.bsky.social offers a radical new perspective on what intelligence really is, and how AI’s emergence is a natural consequence of evolution. Available #OpenAccess: mitpress.mit.edu/978026204995...
September 23, 2025 at 1:16 PM
In "What Is Intelligence?", @blaiseaguera.bsky.social offers a radical new perspective on what intelligence really is, and how AI’s emergence is a natural consequence of evolution. Available #OpenAccess: mitpress.mit.edu/978026204995...
Reposted by Blaise Agüera y Arcas
We're celebrating the release of "What Is Intelligence?" tomorrow at the MIT Press Bookstore! Stop by Kendall Square's underground bookstore for a book signing with author @blaiseaguera.bsky.social: mitpressbookstore.mit.edu/event/2025-0...
September 22, 2025 at 1:16 PM
We're celebrating the release of "What Is Intelligence?" tomorrow at the MIT Press Bookstore! Stop by Kendall Square's underground bookstore for a book signing with author @blaiseaguera.bsky.social: mitpressbookstore.mit.edu/event/2025-0...
Everything alive is a computer—because the processes that enable life, at its core, are computational. This was a central point in my presentation and conversation with Benjamin Bratton at @longnow.org, where we challenged conventional notions about biological and artificial systems.
September 22, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Everything alive is a computer—because the processes that enable life, at its core, are computational. This was a central point in my presentation and conversation with Benjamin Bratton at @longnow.org, where we challenged conventional notions about biological and artificial systems.
Great to see my friend and colleague Alex Mordvintsev's pioneering work on neural cellular automata recognized in Quanta Magazine. Special thanks to @georgemusser.com for the feature.
The cells of your body follow simple rules and play off one another to form a complete organism. The researcher Alexander Mordvintsev has developed “neural cellular automata,” building blocks that can self-assemble into any form. @georgemusser.com reports: www.quantamagazine.org/self-assembl...
Self-Assembly Gets Automated in Reverse of ‘Game of Life’ | Quanta Magazine
In cellular automata, simple rules create elaborate structures. Now researchers can start with the structures and reverse-engineer the rules.
www.quantamagazine.org
September 21, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Great to see my friend and colleague Alex Mordvintsev's pioneering work on neural cellular automata recognized in Quanta Magazine. Special thanks to @georgemusser.com for the feature.
Reposted by Blaise Agüera y Arcas
Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society hosts @blaiseaguera.bsky.social on Sept. 24th to discuss his new book, "What Is Intelligence?" Learn how the evolution of life and even the development of AI can be understood as stages in an ongoing process: computational symbiogenesis. Learn more & RSVP:
What Is Intelligence? Lessons from AI About Evolution, Computing, and Minds
“Life” and “intelligence” are terms with heavily contested meanings.This discussion will offer a novel, unified perspective on both, as described in Blaise Agüera y Arcas’ new book, What Is…
cyber.harvard.edu
September 19, 2025 at 11:16 AM
Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society hosts @blaiseaguera.bsky.social on Sept. 24th to discuss his new book, "What Is Intelligence?" Learn how the evolution of life and even the development of AI can be understood as stages in an ongoing process: computational symbiogenesis. Learn more & RSVP:
Do modern AI systems have a claim to intelligence? Join me for a conversation on this topic later today with Benjamin Bratton at @longnow.org.
September 16, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Do modern AI systems have a claim to intelligence? Join me for a conversation on this topic later today with Benjamin Bratton at @longnow.org.
Words are seldom broken on book covers. Some might call it design heresy. But James Goggin and I did this with "Intelligence" on the front cover of my upcoming book, “What Is Intelligence?” In part 2 of our conversation, we explain the thinking behind this unconventional choice.
September 12, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Words are seldom broken on book covers. Some might call it design heresy. But James Goggin and I did this with "Intelligence" on the front cover of my upcoming book, “What Is Intelligence?” In part 2 of our conversation, we explain the thinking behind this unconventional choice.
Honored to have my book "What Is Intelligence?" included in this list. Thank you, @thetransmitter.bsky.social!
In The Transmitter's reading list, we highlight the most anticipated upcoming neuroscience books and other notable 2025 releases. Featuring titles by @okaysteve.bsky.social, @dr-brein.bsky.social, @nicolecrust.bsky.social, Xiao-Jing Wang and many more.
By @franciscorr25.bsky.social
bit.ly/45MvK41
By @franciscorr25.bsky.social
bit.ly/45MvK41
The Transmitter’s reading list: Six upcoming neuroscience books, plus notable titles in 2025
Dig into an exploration of the fundamental aspects of intelligence, a new textbook about theoretical neuroscience and a memoir about memory research, among other new releases.
bit.ly
September 10, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Honored to have my book "What Is Intelligence?" included in this list. Thank you, @thetransmitter.bsky.social!