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Portland AGI Summit: What happens to our civilization when cognition is no longer scarce?
Event by: Mounir Shita
Location: NedSpace, Southwest Morrison Street 621, Portland
About event
Portland AGI Mini-Summit: What Happens When Intelligence Is No Longer Scarce?
Friday, December 5th — 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
NedSpace • 621 SW Morrison St., Suite 800 • Portland, OR
Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is moving from theory to reality faster than most people expected. Yet the biggest unanswered questions aren’t technical—they’re societal:
If intelligence becomes something we can *mass-produce*, what happens to the systems that rely on intelligence being scarce?
At this special Portland Mini-Summit, five local scholars from economics, law, political science, ethics, and theoretical physics come together to explore how AGI may reshape the core structures of civilization: economics, law, and governance.
This is a cross-disciplinary conversation about how society must adapt as AGI develops.
**What We’ll Explore**
Scientific Foundations
* What *is* AGI? How do we define it rigorously?
* Could human-level cognition emerge from current AI research?
* What are the scientific barriers?
* Are we on the right path—or do we need a fundamentally new framework for intelligence?
Societal Transformation
* Economics: What happens to capitalism when cognitive labor is no longer scarce?
* Law: If AGI can interpret intent and context, does it humanize the law—or mechanize society even further?
* Governance: When intelligence can be produced at scale, does representative democracy stay viable?
* Human Identity: What does it mean to be human when machines can think, reason, and create?
These are not predictions of collapse—they’re structural questions we need to understand *now*, while the trajectory is still being shaped.
Speakers
* Joe Cortright — Economist; Chair, Oregon Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors
* Professor Lindsay Benstead — Political Scientist; Chair, Political Science Department, PSU
* Professor Tung Yin — Lewis & Clark Law School; constitutional & national security law
* Professor Fabrice Jotterand — OHSU Center for Ethics; human identity in the technological age
* Mounir Shita — Theoretical Physicist & AGI Researcher; Global Economic Alliance
Format
* Short scholar presentations
* Moderated dialogue across disciplines
* Audience Q&A
* Contributions to the Portland AGI Readiness Report
Tickets
* Free general admission
* $30 premium seating + two drink tickets + access to Portland AGI Readiness Report
* $12 virtual tickets
Register: https://portland.agiglobalsummit.org
Why This Event Matters
All of civilization—our markets, legal systems, political institutions—rests on the assumption that human intelligence is scarce. AGI breaks that assumption. Portland is starting the global conversation about what comes next.
Friday, December 5th — 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
NedSpace • 621 SW Morrison St., Suite 800 • Portland, OR
Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is moving from theory to reality faster than most people expected. Yet the biggest unanswered questions aren’t technical—they’re societal:
If intelligence becomes something we can *mass-produce*, what happens to the systems that rely on intelligence being scarce?
At this special Portland Mini-Summit, five local scholars from economics, law, political science, ethics, and theoretical physics come together to explore how AGI may reshape the core structures of civilization: economics, law, and governance.
This is a cross-disciplinary conversation about how society must adapt as AGI develops.
**What We’ll Explore**
Scientific Foundations
* What *is* AGI? How do we define it rigorously?
* Could human-level cognition emerge from current AI research?
* What are the scientific barriers?
* Are we on the right path—or do we need a fundamentally new framework for intelligence?
Societal Transformation
* Economics: What happens to capitalism when cognitive labor is no longer scarce?
* Law: If AGI can interpret intent and context, does it humanize the law—or mechanize society even further?
* Governance: When intelligence can be produced at scale, does representative democracy stay viable?
* Human Identity: What does it mean to be human when machines can think, reason, and create?
These are not predictions of collapse—they’re structural questions we need to understand *now*, while the trajectory is still being shaped.
Speakers
* Joe Cortright — Economist; Chair, Oregon Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors
* Professor Lindsay Benstead — Political Scientist; Chair, Political Science Department, PSU
* Professor Tung Yin — Lewis & Clark Law School; constitutional & national security law
* Professor Fabrice Jotterand — OHSU Center for Ethics; human identity in the technological age
* Mounir Shita — Theoretical Physicist & AGI Researcher; Global Economic Alliance
Format
* Short scholar presentations
* Moderated dialogue across disciplines
* Audience Q&A
* Contributions to the Portland AGI Readiness Report
Tickets
* Free general admission
* $30 premium seating + two drink tickets + access to Portland AGI Readiness Report
* $12 virtual tickets
Register: https://portland.agiglobalsummit.org
Why This Event Matters
All of civilization—our markets, legal systems, political institutions—rests on the assumption that human intelligence is scarce. AGI breaks that assumption. Portland is starting the global conversation about what comes next.