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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warns that AI superintelligence will be more intense than expected

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, predicts that the next big advancements in AI will be more disruptive than anticipated.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warns that AI superintelligence will be more intense than expected

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, predicts that the next big advancements in AI will be more disruptive than anticipated. Speaking at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit in New York City, Altman forecasted that by 2025, the industry would start seeing the first instances of artificial general intelligence (AGI), where AI systems can be tasked with complex jobs, similar to how humans handle them, and use various tools to complete the tasks.

“I believe it’s possible… by 2025, we’ll have systems that will make people say, ‘Wow, this changes everything,’” he stated.

Initially, the advent of AGI — and eventually, even more advanced “superintelligence” — will have minimal immediate effect, Altman explained. However, he believes its long-term impact will be far more intense than expected, leading to significant job displacement, as seen with past technological advancements.

When asked about critics who argue OpenAI is insufficiently focused on safety, Altman pointed to the company’s track record.

Altman mentioned that ChatGPT now has over 300 million weekly users and is generally regarded as “acceptably safe and robust” by most people. While some still raise concerns over its safety, he emphasized that OpenAI believes in the importance of gradual deployment, stressing that “you have to start when the stakes are lower.”

Altman drew a comparison between AI’s rise and the invention of the transistor, which transformed industries globally. He believes AI models will become extremely powerful, widely available, and used in various sectors, with AI itself becoming commoditized.

Altman co-founded OpenAI in 2015 as a nonprofit research lab and later transitioned to the role of CEO in 2019 after serving as president of Y Combinator. A year ago, he was briefly fired from OpenAI but was rehired after less than a week due to a board dispute over his communications.

Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, co-founder of OpenAI, filed a lawsuit against the company and Altman, accusing them of straying from the nonprofit mission. Musk’s lawsuit claimed he had been “betrayed” by Altman, describing the situation as “Shakespearean in scale.” Musk has since launched his own AI venture, xAI.

Altman expressed sadness over Musk’s lawsuit, revealing that he had once viewed Musk as a major influence. “I thought what Elon was doing was incredible for the world,” Altman said, adding that Musk eventually lost trust in OpenAI. He also acknowledged that Musk’s XAI is a significant competitor but rejected the idea that Musk would use political influence to harm OpenAI, calling such behavior “profoundly un-American.”

Reflecting on OpenAI’s early days, Altman mentioned that the founders initially did not anticipate the immense capital required to develop the product or foresee the introduction of commercial products. “It wasn’t clear we would have a product or revenue stream,” he said, but that changed with the success of ChatGPT. The company’s board is now exploring how to transition to a for-profit model.

OpenAI has been involved in several controversies. Recently, the company faced a lawsuit from the New York Times, accusing OpenAI of copyright infringement by using its articles to train its models. In addition, OpenAI temporarily suspended access to Sora, its AI video tool, after artists protested, claiming they were being exploited for publicity and unpaid research and development.

Regarding the legal aspects of AI and copyright, Altman argued that the “discussions of fair use” were too simplistic and that the industry must find “new economic models” to fairly compensate creators. DealBook’s Andrew Ross Sorkin humorously remarked that these issues would ultimately be settled in court: “We’ll see you in court,” he quipped.

In a statement following Altman’s appearance, Ian Crosby, a partner at Susman Godfrey and lead counsel for the New York Times in its lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, pointed out that while Altman acknowledged the need to compensate creators, he missed that copyright law is designed precisely to protect creators’ rights. Crosby emphasized that it is possible to develop new technologies that comply with copyright law.

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