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Opus 4.8 Beats GPT 5.5, the $220B OpenAI Foundation, and Hassabis’s 2029 AGI Prediction | EP #260

Shownote

In this episode, the mates discuss Opus 4.8, The OpenAI Foundation, Demis Hassabis' views on AGI, AI extremism on the rise, and more. Get access to metatrends 10+ years before anyone else - https://qr.diamandis.com/metatrends [https://qr.diamandis.com/metatrends]   Peter H. Diamandis, MD, is the Founder of XPRIZE, Singularity University, ZeroG, and A360 Salim Ismail is the founder of Open ExO, a GP at Exponential Venture Capital/The Organizational Singularity Fund and a sought after global speaker and thought leader. Dave Blundin is the founder & GP of Link Ventures Dr. Alexander Wissner-Gross is a computer scientist and founder of Reified – My companies: Apply to Dave's and my new fund:https://qr.diamandis.com/linkventureslanding [https://qr.diamandis.com/linkventureslanding]      Go to Blitzy to book a free demo and start building today: https://qr.diamandis.com/blitzy [https://qr.diamandis.com/blitzy]   Your body is incredibly good at hiding disease. Schedule a call with Fountain Life to add healthy decades to your life, and to learn more about their Memberships: https://www.fountainlife.com/peter [https://www.fountainlife.com/peter]  _ Connect with Peter: X [https://qr.diamandis.com/twitter] Instagram [https://qr.diamandis.com/instagram] Substack [https://substack.com/@peterdiamandis] Website [https://www.diamandis.com/] Xprize [http://www.xprize.org] Abundance360 [https://www.abundance360.com/] Connect with Dave: Web [https://db2.ai] X [https://x.com/davidblundin] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-blundin] Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/dave.blundin] TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@daveblundin] Connect with Salim: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/salimismail/] X [https://x.com/salimismail] Apply for Salim’s Pilot Program  [https://openexo.com/organizational-singularity-pilot?video=I9c8STV7Hnw] Subscribe to Salim’s YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh2iw67YgoRcp-oYBn89c5g] Exponential Venture Capital [https://organizationalsingularity.fund] Connect with Alex Website [https://www.alexwg.org] LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwg/] X [https://x.com/alexwg] Email Substack [https://theinnermostloop.substack.com/]  Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/1thtZk5vHTXbtDHezPT7tl] Threads [https://www.threads.com/@alexwissnergross] Listen to MOONSHOTS: Apple [https://qr.diamandis.com/applepodcast] YouTube [https://qr.diamandis.com/youtube] – *Recorded on May 30th, 2026 *The views expressed by me and all guests are personal opinions and do not constitute Financial, Medical, or Legal advice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Highlights

In this episode, the hosts dive into the latest AI developments, including a new model release and a massive foundation, while debating the true definition of AGI and the societal shifts needed for an abundant future. They also explore breakthroughs in health, energy, and robotics, and discuss the emerging threat of anti-tech extremism.
00:00
Anthropic released Opus 4.8, outperforming GPT 5.5 in coding.
14:24
Some form of AGI has existed since 2020
22:04
Amazon's AI voice shopping assistant converts at 3.5 times the rate of keyword search
31:10
The OpenAI Foundation is now the world's largest foundation.
37:09
UBI is libertarian, not socialist.
45:52
45% of dementia cases are preventable
54:40
Exponential curves are often underestimated due to cognitive error, not math error
1:00:36
Anti-tech extremism threatens national security.
1:12:23
A $5 handheld device detects early-stage lung cancer with 95% accuracy.

Chapters

Anthropic's Opus 4.8 Takes the Lead: Is It Time for New Benchmarks?
00:00
The Great AGI Debate: Has It Already Arrived, or Is 2029 the Real Target?
11:22
Amazon's AI Voice Assistant: Why It's Crushing Keyword Search and What It Means for Retail
22:04
The OpenAI Foundation: A $260 Billion Giant and the Future of Economic Grants
31:10
UBI vs. Universal Basic Services: Could AI Labs Become the New Ford Motor Company?
37:09
Brain Health and Quantum Leaps: Preventing Dementia and Betting on a $2 Billion Foundry
45:52
Solar and Wind Surpass Natural Gas: Why We Keep Underestimating Exponential Growth
52:01
The Rise of Anti-Tech Extremism: A New FBI Category and the Battle for AI's Future
1:00:36
A $5 Cancer Detector and the Robotics Race: From Software to Hardware and Biotech
1:12:23

Transcript

Peter H. Diamandis: Anthropic just dropped Opus 4.8, reclaimed the coding crown from GPT 5.5. Dave Blundin: This feels like it's significantly better at managing many, many parallel threads. I did have some trouble with the. Peter H. Diamandis: OpenAI no...