On Friday, the chief of OpenAI, the company that created the wildly popular ChatGPT bot, reassured the public about the use of artificial intelligence in the job market, saying it would not lead to the displacement of entire industries. Sam Altman, a rising star in Silicon Valley, is currently travelling the world to meet with world leaders and decision makers.
At an event in Paris, he stated that worries about AI depriving humans of their roles were unfounded and the expectations associated with AI had never resonated with him. He addressed the media industry, where AI has been used to create stories, by saying that the ChatGPT should work like having 100 assistants at the journalist’s disposal for research and crafting stories.
The world has certainly taken note of the ChatGPT since it was introduced in late 2019. It has proven itself to be able to generate essays, conversations and poetry which continues to push the boundaries of what AI is capable of. Microsoft have invested heavily in OpenAI, deploying their technology in many of their products, which is a move that has been followed by Google.
Mr. Altman has experienced a warm reception by leaders from places such as London and Lagos, however recently in the EU he angered a few when he hinted that his company could move out of the bloc if they are regulated too heavily. On the sidelines of the event in Paris he clarified his intentions by saying that there were no plans to leave the EU and he is likely to open an office there.
The success of the ChatGPT, a program able to write speeches and pass certain exams, has propelled Sam Altman to the spotlight, something he sees as a special but very draining experience. OpenAI was established in 2015 and is primarily funded by Mr. Altman and billionaire Elon Musk. After leaving the company in 2018 Musk has been quite vocal in his criticism of OpenAI, something Mr. Altman has avoided talking about in order to keep the focus on OpenAI’s mission, which is to maximise the benefit AI and Artificial General Intelligence can provide to society.
OpenAI’s models are capable of generating content without bias, however, some are wary of their technology as they do not publish the datasets they use to train said models. Mr. Altman stands by the idea that bias tests can accurately evaluate the models, instead of trying to determine if the sources used to create the models were offensive or racist.
Overall, OpenAI is seen as a pivotal component of AI research and development and the messages Mr. Altman has been delivering across the world have resonated with audiences. He understand that while being a public figure is overwhelming, it is a unique experience he won’t be able to repeat again.
