Philosophy Class: The Road to Artificial General Intelligence 

The Trained A-Eye

Welcome back to class, classmates! This semester, we made our way through tools, strategy, and systems, and now we arrived at Philosophy Class. This class is where we ask the big questions: not just what AI can do, but what it means. Artificial Intelligence has grown from an experiment to an ecosystem, and the next frontier is what many are calling Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). AGI is a world where machines think, plan, and create at or beyond our level. If that sounds futuristic, it is! The future is getting closer every day. This lesson today is about preparing our minds, workplaces, and ethics for what comes next. 

Inspired by the Innovation Profs 

As always, this conversation is inspired by my professor friends Chris Snider and Christopher Porter, the Innovation Profs, who explored the concept of AGI in their AI Summer School series. They broke down what it might look like for AI to evolve from simple chatbots into systems capable of reasoning, problem-solving, and independent innovation. Their thoughtful approach reminded me that progress without purpose can lead to chaos, but progress with intention can change the world. These questions matter to those of us in workers’ compensation because we are an industry built on humanity, recovery, and trust. How will AI reshape our systems, and more importantly, how will we stay human through it all? 

Understanding the Levels of Intelligence 

To understand where AI is headed, it helps to picture its evolution in levels similar to how we think about automation in vehicles. The first level, Chatbots, is where most of us live right now. These models, like ChatGPT or Gemini, can write, summarize, and communicate fluidly. They are task-specific and depend on human direction. Next comes Reasoners, systems that can solve complex problems with minimal prompting. Think of these models as AI PhDs that can analyze, synthesize, and explain. From there, we move toward Agents, AI that does more than provide answers. These models perform tasks such as scheduling meetings, managing files, or analyzing workflows on your behalf. Innovators will create new solutions and designs, helping us invent faster than ever before. Organizations represent AI systems capable of running end-to-end operations autonomously. We are currently sitting somewhere between Reasoners and early Agents. The future is beta testing and we are on the verge of something new, right now! 

Where Workers’ Compensation Fits on the Map 

What does this mean for our world of workers’ compensation? We are entering an era where AI will do more than summarize claim files. Our future AI will start identifying patterns, predicting outcomes, and suggesting strategies for return-to-work. Reasoning-level models could support decision-making by analyzing medical histories, injury trends, and jurisdictional nuances. Agentic models could coordinate communication between adjusters, providers, and employers, ensuring no detail falls through the cracks. As exciting as that sounds, it also raises big questions. How do we balance efficiency with empathy? How do we preserve the human connection when the machine can draft the message, schedule the meeting, and analyze the outcome? The key will be in using AI to enhance human judgment, not override it. The adjuster of the future will be empowered by technology. Future adjusters will be able to focus on care, context, and compassion, the elements no algorithm can. 

Ethics and Agency: Who Holds the Steering Wheel? 

As AI moves closer to autonomy, one of the most important discussions we will face is around agency. Who makes the final decision? Who bears the responsibility? These are important questions to ponder. In workers’ compensation, this has enormous implications. AI may recommend medical providers or settlement options, but the ethical weight still rests with people. We must set clear boundaries between AI input and human accountability. Governance becomes critical. Companies need to develop internal “preparedness frameworks” that define how AI is used, reviewed, and audited. This is very similar to a safety program where policies are proactive, transparent, and always evolving through learning. The ethical use of AI will define reputational trust and guardrails are essential.  

Reasoners, Agents, and Innovators: The New Classmates in the Room 

As Reasoners become more advanced, they will start solving complex problems. This can include calculating reserve projections, analyzing risk exposure, or identifying causation patterns across years of data. They will think “longer,” process deeper, and deliver insights faster. Early Agents will then take these insights and put them into motion by sending notifications, managing workflows, or pulling the right reports in seconds. The next level, Innovators, will help us reimagine how we operate. Imagine an AI helping to design new safety initiatives, draft legislation summaries, or predict which communication styles lead to faster recoveries. These tools will reshape what is possible. Remember, no matter how advanced these tools become, they will always need the human element. There will always be a need for people who can translate data into dignity, and predictions into progress. 

Preparing for the Road Ahead 

The path to AGI is not happening overnight. Timelines vary wildly from late 2020s to 2060s. How we get there is going to matter. Organizations should start preparing now by building cultures that value adaptability, transparency, and lifelong learning. Encourage curiosity. Train your teams to ask smarter questions, not just faster ones! AI will evolve beyond today’s limitations, and, so can we! As tools get smarter, humans must get wiser. We must become more reflective, more ethical, more intentional. The best professionals will complement AI, knowing when to trust data and when to trust instinct. In a world of Reasoners and Agents, wisdom becomes the ultimate skill. 

The Philosophical Question 

Philosophy Class would not be complete without a little reflection: what happens when the tools we build begin to think like us? The rise of AGI challenges our definitions of intelligence, creativity, and identity. In the workplace, it forces us to ask what makes human work meaningful. If AI can write a policy, analyze a claim, and forecast outcomes, what is left for us? The beautiful answer is everything that makes us human. Our empathy, adaptability, humor, and resilience cannot be coded. These elements are what breathe life into every system we build. The role of the human mind is shifting from information processing to interpretation and influence. It is time for philosophy to focus on the feeling elements, not just thinking about thinking!  

Class Takeaway 

The road to Artificial General Intelligence is challenging us to rise higher! AGI will help us define purpose. In workers’ compensation, that means we should be using both artificial and emotional intelligence to create systems that are faster, fairer, and more human than ever before. The goal is to make us more aware of what truly matters in the work we do. We can focus on what all parties NEED to be successful from the injured worker to the claims adjuster, the human resource professional to the safety manager. We can all find ways to work smarter. 

Your homework: Ask yourself how you want to use intelligence to make your work more meaningful. Think about both kinds of intelligence: human or artificial. Identify one area in your process where technology can create time for deeper connection or reflection. Start with one step. Progress starts with presence. 

Class dismissed.  

Next week: Study Hall – What ChatGPT Can Really Do. 

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