The technological singularity is a theoretical notion: a point at which artificial intelligence improves itself so quickly that technological progress can no longer be predicted or controlled by humans. The term was popularised by the author Vernor Vinge and the futurist Ray Kurzweil. Whether and when this might happen is scientifically open and disputed. Nevertheless, the idea influences discussions about AI safety, regulation and long-term risks.
Artificial superintelligence (ASI) is a theoretical concept for an AI that significantly surpasses humans in almost all intellectual abilities, including research, planning and social judgement. No such system exists. The term is used mainly in philosophy and AI safety research to discuss questions of control and of aligning future systems with human values.
Artificial general intelligence (AGI) refers to a hypothetical AI system that can handle a broad range of intellectual tasks at human level and flexibly transfer what it has learned to new areas. Today's systems perform well on many tasks but still show limitations, for instance in reliability. There is no generally accepted definition or way of measuring it, and whether and when AGI will be achieved is disputed among experts.
AI ethics deals with the moral questions surrounding the development and use of AI: fairness and discrimination, transparency and explainability, data protection, responsibility for errors, safety and the effects on work and society. For organisations it becomes concrete in guidelines, risk assessments, human oversight and honest communication about AI's limitations. Example: before a CV screening tool is introduced, it is checked for whether it disadvantages particular groups.
As of October 2026. Technically, the focus is moving from chatbots to AI agents that handle multi-step tasks and use tools via standards such as the Model Context Protocol. According to Crunchbase data, around 64% of global venture funding in Q3 2026 went to AI start-ups. In the EU, obligations for general-purpose AI models have applied since August 2025; deadlines for high-risk systems were postponed to December 2027 and August 2028.
