CTO of OpenAI Predicts AI Will Become a Part of Everyday Life
ChatGPT was not available to the public just eight months ago, but now it has become a highly discussed technology product worldwide. In the latest episode of The Circuit With Emily Chang, the focus is on OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT.
To get an idea of how the chatbot works, I interviewed Mira Murat, CTO of OpenAI and one of the best architects of ChatGPT. I also spoke with one of the company’s earliest investors, veteran venture capitalist Reid Hoffman.
What we learned
Murati talked a lot about the possibilities of artificial intelligence to improve education and productivity. He envisions forming a daily relationship with an AI that could provide personalized advice and other assistance. It kind of sounds like what Alexa or Siri once promised.
In the interview, Murati also admitted the possible downsides. He said the worst-case scenario — that AI ends humanity — is possible. “There’s certainly a risk that when we have these AI systems that can set their own goals, they’ll decide that their goals don’t align with ours, and they won’t benefit from having us around,” he said.
The case of the optimist
Hoffman rejected the idea that artificial intelligence could destroy us. “The chance that I could see something like a robocalypse is so slim compared to everything else,” Hoffman said.
Hoffman predicted that the speed at which AI will integrate into our lives will outpace the iPhone and even the Internet. Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn and an early investor in Facebook, said this is not like a crypto bubble.
The Elon effect
Hoffman was initially drawn to AI investing, he said, by his old friend and PayPal colleague Elon Musk. But Hoffman criticized Musk, the founder of OpenAI who has since resigned, for what he sees as fears about the power of artificial intelligence and Musk’s recent attacks on OpenAI.
While Murati and his boss Sam Altman appear to share Musk’s concern about the potential for AI to do harm, Murati expresses no intention of slowing down OpenAI’s development. And Hoffman agrees.
