‘Everybody’s a programmer now’: Nvidia CEO hails AI era

Nvidia Corp. CEO Jensen Huang said Monday that artificial intelligence means anyone can now become a programmer because all they have to do is talk to a computer, hailing the end of the “digital divide.”

Nvidia has grown into the world’s most valuable semiconductor company as a major supplier of artificial intelligence chips and computing systems.

The company last week forecast second-quarter revenue to beat Wall Street estimates by more than 50% and said it would increase supply to meet growing demand for AI chips used to power ChatGPT and many similar services.

Speaking to thousands of people at the Computex Forum in Taipei, Huang, who was born in southern Taiwan before his family moved to the United States when he was a child, said artificial intelligence is driving a revolution in computing.

“There is no doubt that we are living in a new era of computing,” he said in his speech.

“In every era of computing, you can do different things that weren’t possible before, and artificial intelligence is definitely valid,” Huang added.

“The barrier to programming is incredibly low. We have closed the digital divide. Everyone is a programmer now – you just have to say something to the computer.

“The speed of progress, the ease of use of it, is why it’s grown so quickly. This touches literally every industry.”

Nvidia chips have helped companies like Microsoft Corp add human-like chat features to search engines like Bing.

Huang demonstrated what AI can do, including getting the program to write a short pop song praising Nvidia with a few instructions.

A number of new applications were unveiled, including a partnership with the world’s largest advertising group WPP for AI-powered digital advertising content.

Nvidia has struggled to meet demand for its AI chips. Tesla Inc. TSLA.O CEO Elon Musk, who is said to be building an artificial intelligence startup, told the Interviewer last week that GPUs are “somewhat harder for a big ‘drug.’