[xanderlewis]

But flying machines are well defined, or at least it's easily possible to come up with a good definition. 'A machine capable of transporting a person from a to b without touching the ground at any point in between', or whatever.

For AGI, that's very far from being true.

[tim333]

Well there are paper darts and weather balloons but most people were interested in a powered machine to transport people. Likewise with AGI but I'm guessing most people are thinking of something that can do what people do?

[nitwit005]

People did genuinely struggle to define "useful flying machine", which is why you see the description of the Wright Brother's flight come with so much detail: "first controlled, sustained flight of a powered airplane".

[xanderlewis]

> or at least it's easily possible to come up with a good definition.

[nitwit005]

That's my point. It wasn't easy. There are still disputes over flight achievements because people don't agree what should count.