Artificial general intelligence: are we close, and does it even make sense to try?

Machines that could think like people has been the guiding vision of AI research since the earliest days. And yet, it remains still its most divisive idea. What is it about Artificial General Intelligence (referred to as AGI), that makes it so controversial? Why does it matter? And is it a reckless, misleading dream — or the ultimate goal? Will Douglas Heaven investigates in MIT Technology Review.