I’ve long thought that embodiment was a critical prerequisite for the development of something that humans would identify as “real” AGI.

Humans are notoriously bad at recognizing intelligence even in animals that are clearly sentient, have language, name their young, and clearly share the realm of thinking creatures with the apes.

This is largely due to the lack of shared experiences that we can easily understand and relate to. Until an intelligence is rooted in the physical realm where we fundamentally exist, we are unlikely to really be able to recognize its existence as truly “intelligent”.