# Agentic AI and the next intelligence explosion

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.20639 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.20639/

## Key facts

- Cited by 6 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 3 of its 26 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 21 Mar 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 3 of 3)

- [Deep reinforcement learning from human preferences](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1706.03741/) (2017)
- [Towards Large Reasoning Models: A Survey of Reinforced Reasoning with Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.09686/) (2025)
- [Flat Teams Drive Scientific Innovation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.06726/) (2022)

## Built on by (most cited first, 6 of 6)

- [Conformity Generates Collective Misalignment in AI Agents Societies](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.10721/) (2026)
- [Agora: Git as Shared Memory for Collective AutoResearch](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.18094/) (2026)
- [Solipsistic Superintelligence is Unlikely to be Cooperative](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.03237/) (2026)
- [What if automating AI R&D triggers an intelligence explosion?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.36054/) (2026)
- [Agentic Analysis for Agentic Infrastructure: An LLM-Powered Pipeline for Comparative Governance of DAO and Corporate AI Protocols](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.26203/) (2026)
- [Moral Competence Before Moral Content: Why LLM Agents Lack the Prerequisites for Coherent Alignment](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.05036/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The "AI singularity" is often miscast as a monolithic, godlike mind. Evolution suggests a different path: intelligence is fundamentally plural, social, and relational. Recent advances in agentic AI reveal that frontier reasoning models, such as DeepSeek-R1, do not improve simply by "thinking longer". Instead, they simulate internal "societies of thought," spontaneous cognitive debates that argue, verify, and reconcile to solve complex tasks. Moreover, we are entering an era of human-AI centaurs: hybrid actors where collective agency transcends individual control. Scaling this intelligence requires shifting from dyadic alignment (RLHF) toward institutional alignment. By designing digital protocols, modeled on organizations and markets, we can build a social infrastructure of checks and balances. The next intelligence explosion will not be a single silicon brain, but a complex, combinatorial society specializing and sprawling like a city. No mind is an island.