--- title: "Mistral CEO Says AI Companies Are Trying to Build God" description: "The CEO of Mistral, Europe's brightest new AI firm, is calling bull on the quest for AGI, which he says is akin to the desire to create God." date: "2024-04-15" modified: "2024-04-15" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/mistral-ceo-agi-god" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "agi" - "europe" - "mistral" - "the digest" --- # Mistral CEO Says AI Companies Are Trying to Build God ![The CEO of Mistral, Europe's brightest new AI firm, is calling bull on the quest for AGI, which he says is akin to the desire to create God.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## AI-theist The CEO of Europe's brightest new AI firm is calling bull on the quest for so-called "artificial general intelligence" (AGI), which he says is akin to the desire to create God. In an [interview with the *New York Times*](), Arthur Mensch, the CEO of the AI firm Mistral, sounded off on his fellow AI executives' "very religious" obsession with building AGI. "The whole AGI rhetoric is about creating God," the Mistral CEO told the newspaper. "I don't believe in God. I'm a strong atheist. So I don't believe in AGI." While far from the first to suggest that AGI — or [superhuman AI](), its supposed [natural endpoint]() — is a [pseudo-religious]() pipe dream, Mensch's comments hold a lot of weight because, at just 31, he's Europe's self-appointed AI "champion." Indeed, the youthful Frenchman boasts an impressive resume prior to founding Mistral. Less than two years ago, he was working at Google DeepMind — which, along with [OpenAI](), is [all-in on the AGI crusade]() — as a research scientist. His Mistral cofounders, Timothée Lacroix and Guillaume Lample, also worked as researchers at Meta, the *NYT* notes. ## Cultural Revolution Building AI that could put [Europe on the AI map]() is one thing, but creating human-level artificial intelligence is another. Mensch, clearly, differs from his Silicon Valley counterparts in that regard. "These models are producing content and shaping our cultural understanding of the world," the CEO said. "And as it turns out, the values of France and the values of the United States differ in subtle but important ways." While AI figureheads like OpenAI's [Sam Altman]() and Mensch's former big boss, DeepMind's [Demis Hassabis](), are cautiously excited about the labor changes AI will bring — but to the Mistral cofounder's mind, those changes will require swift retraining. "It’s coming faster than in the previous revolutions," Mensch told the *NYT*. "Not in 10 years but more like in two." While those sorts of predictions are much more tangible — and frankly terrifying — than AGI prognosticating, his vision seems to have broad appeal among the European elite. During a recent speech, as transcribed by the *Times*, British investor Matt Clifford heralded Mensch as the "poster child for A.I. in France" — and indeed, the French government has [inked a deal with Mistral]() to boot. Cédric O, France's former digital minister who owns shares in Mistral and is [lobbying the European Union]() to loosen its AI regulations to allow the company to flourish, talks an even bigger talk. "If Mistral becomes a big technical power,” O told the *NYT*, "it’s going to be beneficial for all of Europe." **More on AGI predictions:** [*Elon Musk Says That Within Two Years, AI Will Be "Smarter Than the Smartest Human"*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()