You’re confusing the goal - the goal here isn’t about the finish line but the point where people all concede that the finish line is actually reachable without any major, presently unthinkable advances.
Surely anyone familiar with software engineering knows that the finish line is reached when the finish line is reached. And no sooner.
Physicists at the beginning of the 20th century also thought that the finish line of physics was in sight and all that remained was tightening a few constants. Look how that turned out.
This perspective is too reductionist - we make predictions of success all the time based on first principles reasoning. It’s perfectly sane to try to predict, and make good arguments, if AGI is possible to achieve without new breakthroughs.
