Sam Altman Predicts AI to be the Most Impactful Technology of All Time
Yesterday, the OpenAI CEO and founder, who is also the creator of the renowned AI chatbot ChatGPT, arrived in India as part of his six-nation tour. Currently, he is participating in a special fireside chat at Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi (IIIT-Delhi), India. We were fortunate enough to attend the session where he discussed various topics such as generative AI, ChatGPT, and AI in India. He made an intriguing statement, stating that “Generative AI will be the most revolutionary technology ever created by humanity.”
In a meeting held earlier in the day, Altman also met Prime Minister Modi and other senior government officials. “I met PM Modi in the morning. It was great meeting Modi. We talked about AI and its potential. We also talked about its downsides and why it’s important to look at it,” he said.
Although OpenAI started as a robotics company, it has branched out and now focuses primarily on artificial intelligence technologies. So could generative AI be augmented with hardware one day? According to Altman, “We started with robotics and we want to get back to it.”
Regulation and development
Several countries have introduced their national strategy documents on artificial intelligence in recent years. What does OpenAI think about the impact of regulation on the development of artificial intelligence as the technology develops faster and faster? According to Altman, I don’t want to stop. Working with these latest models makes these models much safer.”
“External audits and cooperation with regulatory authorities help. We need to build a regulatory framework. Artificial intelligence developers are the ones who demand regulation the most. We are aware of the dangers and want to find a solution to create a safe AI,” he added.
The impact of AI
While the growth of artificial intelligence in recent years has been a boon to most, it has also raised difficult questions about its socio-economic impact. There have been numerous discussions about whether artificial intelligence will eventually take over the jobs currently performed by humans. Speaking on this topic, Altman said, “Artificial intelligence will increase human productivity by 100 times. Human creativity is something that AI cannot override.”
The problem of artificial intelligence biases has also emerged when artificial intelligence models prepare information and present it as facts. Does OpenAI have a plan to prevent this? According to Altman, “It takes us about a year to finalize the model. It’s a balance between creativity and accuracy, and we try to minimize the problem.”
Currently, “I trust responses from ChatGPT the least of anyone else on earth.”
Speaking about AI safeguards, Altman said, “There is no one-size-fits-all solution to securing AI. We’re improving the algorithm, doing audits, trying to preserve parameters, and more to design a secure AI.”
“If AI goes wrong, no gas mask in the world can help you,” he added.
Investments in India
India has also jumped on the artificial intelligence (AI) bandwagon, and the country plans to introduce a Digital India framework that will replace the current IT Act and put in place safeguards for the use of AI and the digital space.
Sam Altman was also asked about a possible OpenAI office in India, to which he replied: “First we invest in startups in India. Their quality is really good. We intend to build technology around mobile and the internet. “
Against my own advice
OpenAI’s CEO was also asked if he ever breaks his own advice, to which he replied, “I feel so bad about the startup advice I gave, I might delete my entire blog.”
“With OpenAI, we chose an unusual path. It worked for us, luckily, but it’s not advice we would give to others,” he added.
