EFTA00700552 - Goertzel-Arel 'Robot Toddler' AGI Proposal for Epstein Foundation

Summary

DOJ-released document from Data Set 9 containing the draft research and development proposal prepared by AI researchers Ben Goertzel and Itamar Arel for the Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation. The proposal outlines a $3 million project to develop a 'robotic AGI toddler' — an artificial general intelligence system 'with the rough general intelligence of a human 3-4 year old child, demonstrated via embodiment in virtual world characters and humanoid robots.' Arel was designated as primary investigator, contributing his DeSTIN (Deep SpatioTemporal Inference Network) facial recognition system developed at the University of Tennessee using graduate student labor. Goertzel, who received direct salary from the Epstein Foundation, proposed the project and suggested additional hundreds of thousands in funding for Arel's research assistants. This document is central to understanding Epstein's funding of cutting-edge AI research through academic intermediaries.