https://math.dartmouth.edu/photos/rotate/prosser-poster-mumford-sep-2026.pdf Abstract: AIs started with "neural nets" in the 1940's, inspired by neurons, and the brain continues to have many parallels to AI with the introduction of transformers and scalability. I believe that future AIs will benefit by borrowing more ideas from the brain and from human life. Looking at human development, it is not until age 18 (or 21) that people are considered adults, hence given rights to act as they wish. They are then given AGENCY, to plan and take actions in the world freely. Silicon Valley today assumes that limited agency can be grafted on large language models easily. But is that true? The purpose of this talk is to analyze what seems to be missing.