Sam Altman publishes "The Gentle Singularity": 'We are past the event horizon; the takeoff has started'
On June 10, 2025 Sam Altman published "The Gentle Singularity", opening with 'We are past the event horizon; the takeoff has started. Humanity is close to building digital superintelligence.' He predicted that 2026 would 'likely see the arrival of systems that can figure out novel insights' and that 2027 'may see the arrival of robots that can do tasks in the real world'. He argued the singularity would feel gradual: 'wonders become routine, and then table stakes'.
Key facts
- Published June 10, 2025 on blog.samaltman.com
- Opening: 'We are past the event horizon; the takeoff has started'
- Timeline: 2025 agents doing real cognitive work; 2026 systems that figure out novel insights; 2027 robots doing real-world tasks
- 'The 2030s are likely going to be wildly different from any time that has come before'; intelligence and energy become abundant
- Calls for solving alignment and making superintelligence cheap and widely available
What happened
Altman framed the arrival of superintelligence as already under way but socially gradual, and gave specific yearly predictions for 2025–2027.
Why it matters
Its 2026 prediction of AI systems producing novel insights is now checkable against the 2026 wave of AI mathematics and science results (for example the Navier–Stokes and open-problems claims). Altman returned to the theme in July 2026 ('we are now, like, in the singularity').
Changelog
- 2026-09-29: created (important-essays backfill; primary source checked)
Related events
- Sam Altman publishes "The Intelligence Age": superintelligence possibly 'in a few thousand days' ★★★
- Sam Altman publishes "Three Observations" on the economics of AI ★★★
- Sam Altman: "We are now, like, in the singularity" (Relentless podcast) ★★
Sources (3)
- officialSam Altman: The Gentle Singularity
- pressNieman Lab: Has the 'gentle singularity' already begun?
- pressForbes: Altman says AI has already gone past the event horizon
id: 2025-06-10-altman-the-gentle-singularity · updated 2026-09-29 · open in the interactive timeline