Artificial intelligence isn’t just getting smarter—it’s becoming broadly capable in ways that outpace most of us. That’s the message from Jeff Dean, Chief Scientist at Google DeepMind, who recently shared his perspective during an episode of the Moonshot Podcast.
AI Is Already Outperforming Everyday Humans
Dean boldly asserted that today’s AI systems are “better than the average person at most tasks”—specifically the kind we don’t perform physically. Consider tasks thrown at us without warning—many people stumble there, but AI handles them with surprising ease.
Not Yet a Human Expert, But Close
It’s not a full takeover. These models still struggle in specialized domains and sometimes fail spectacularly. Yet, Dean sees real potential in certain fields—like scientific discovery—where AI might already be operating near or beyond human speed, hinting that breakthroughs could come faster than expected.
AI’s Next Frontier: Virtual Engineers
Expanding on this momentum, Dean predicts AI could match junior software engineer skill levels in the near future. It’s not just about writing code—AI will also need to debug, test, and use documentation, progressing through a more human-like learning path.
Speed, Recall, Analysis—AI Excels.
Human strengths still lie elsewhere—creativity, empathy, hands-on intuition remain uniquely human.
