In September 2016, Google's DeepMind subsidiary announced that it would be using artificial intelligence (AI) to develop new energy-saving algorithms for Google data centers. This was widely seen as a breakthrough moment for AI, as it demonstrated the ability of the technology to solve real-world problems with significant economic value.

However, this also marked the beginning of a new era of AI development, one in which the major tech companies are locked in an intense race to be the first to achieve artificial general intelligence (AGI). This is the Holy Grail of AI research: a machine that can autonomously acquire and apply knowledge to new domains, just as humans do.

The key to achieving AGI is effectively cracking what is known as the "symbolic systems problem": how to design machines that can reason, learn, and communicate using symbols and language, just like humans do. Once this problem is solved, the Pandora's box of AGI will be opened, and the race to achieve it will be in full swing.

The DeepMind team is not the only one working on this problem. Facebook has its own AI research lab, headed up by world-renowned computer scientist Yann LeCun. And, of course, there is Google's other major AI lab, Google Brain, which is also working on the symbolic systems problem.

The race to achieve AGI is sure to be an intense one, as the prize is immense. Whoever solves the problem first will effectively create a new form of life: intelligent machines that can think, learn, and communicate just like humans. The potential applications of this technology are virtually limitless, and the economic value of it is incalculable.

The race is on to achieve AGI, and the stakes could not be higher. The Pandora's box of AI has been opened, and there is no turning back.