A Mission to Build the Future
Within the next few years, we will have AGI - Artificial General Intelligence- which Dr. Eli David describes as a euphemism for superhuman AI.
“When I interact with people from Hungary or Poland,” he told Visegrád24, “I see the hunger. They want to build. They want their countries to break free from the ghosts of the communist past and embrace the future.”
It’s a drive Dr. David deeply understands. As one of Israel’s leading AI experts, he has spent over two decades working in artificial intelligence, long before it became a buzzword. A researcher, lecturer, entrepreneur, and investor, he has taught students, built companies in healthcare and cybersecurity, and explored AI applications across multiple sectors. But at the core of it all is a clear purpose: shaping the future.
Will AI Replace Us or Empower Us?
Dr. David believes we’re at a turning point similar to the late 1990s, when the internet was poised to reshape everything. Back then, everyone sensed something massive was coming, but few could predict how it would unfold. The same is true for AI. We don’t yet know which companies will lead or which technologies will define the era but one thing is clear: the next two decades will look nothing like the past.
Like every major technological shift, this one will bring disruption. Jobs will disappear, but new ones will emerge. Dr. David believes AI will not replace doctors, engineers, or lawyers but professionals who know how to work with AI will replace those who don’t. It won’t be about competing with machines, but about collaborating with them.
In healthcare, for example, diagnostics and treatments will be more accurate and personalized. Knowledge assistants will be vastly more capable than any human expert. The possibilities are enormous but so is the uncertainty.
Can we control machines that are more intelligent than we are? That’s one of the deepest questions AI forces us to ask. Models like GPT-4 already operate with roughly a trillion parameters. The human brain has about 100 trillion neural connections. Within a few years, we’re expected to pass that threshold, and keep going.
Dr. David points out that only a slight increase in brain complexity separates us from chimpanzees. What happens when we’re the chimps trying to understand the humans of the AI era? What happens when we’re no longer the smartest species on the planet?
And then there’s the spiritual question: If we create entities that can think, learn, and possibly even feel, are we playing God? Is this a digital Tower of Babel?
Why Pausing Won’t Work
Some argue we should pause AI development altogether. Dr. David strongly disagrees. Even if Western countries stopped, others like China, would not. Developing AI doesn’t require rare materials or nuclear infrastructure; it requires data, computing power, and ambition.
Instead of pausing, he argues, we need to lead. We must define what kind of AI we want to build and create ethical frameworks to guide that process. That’s the only way to ensure AI serves humanity.
This isn’t just theory. It’s already happening in places like Israel, where a bold startup culture drives relentless innovation. But also in Eastern Europe: in Hungary, Poland, Prague, Sofia, and Belgrade, where people are eager to take risks, leave the past behind, and create something new.
Dr. David draws a key lesson from Silicon Valley: success comes not from government micromanagement, but from governments stepping aside. Cut red tape. Lower taxes. Let the builders build. The countries that lead this revolution will be those that embrace risk, reward innovation, and empower the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Superhuman intelligence is coming. The only question is: who’s ready to build the future?
Alexandra Tompson
Editor | Lawyer (Admitted in New York; England & Wales)
