# AI 2040

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/ai-2040-plan-a/

7 people recommended AI 2040 in Hacker News comments, 2 had mixed feelings and 6 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 12 months, in 8 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Recommended for covering AI alignment and power concentration in depth, with detailed supplements. Critics find it speculative and overly focused on China.

Summary written by Claude from 20 comments. It was written before the November 2026 recount, and 18 of those comments still count.

## Why people recommend it

- Long, detailed, with useful supplements (3 comments in the sample): "Excellent work by Daniel and the authors. 47,000 words plus supplements is a huge read (and re-read" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48853038)) "There's a decent amount of stuff in Plan A. Especially if you read the supplements." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49094626)) "There's a bunch of quite good speculation like this in Plan A" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49475615))
- Good starting point, easy to read (3 comments in the sample): "AI 2040 is a different type of document but probably easier to read to get a sense of their thinking" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49629083)) "A good starting point is to read Plan A" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49623047)) "Read Plan A and tell people about it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49194013))
- Realistic proposal on alignment and power (2 comments in the sample): "the first one I've read that deals with both the AI alignment and power concentration issues in a sufficient way" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48853913)) "is the most realistic proposal I’ve seen by far" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49661661))

## What people warn about

- Predictions failed; no accountability (2 comments in the sample): "Notice the many times when a prediction failed and the so called prophet would come back in a few years" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48871258)) "Where's the accountability? Where's the followup or retrospective?" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48873069))

## What people recommend instead

- [AI 2027](https://hackerapproved.com/p/ai-2027/): 20 recommend, 4 mixed, 28 criticize

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "AI 2040", https://hackerapproved.com/p/ai-2040-plan-a/ (7 recommend, 2 mixed, 6 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.