We don’t want something to go really wrong, says OpenAI CEO Sam Altman about the future of AI

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has shared his insights on the future of artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential impact on human society. He explained that AI creators don't want anything to go wrong. Here is the full story.

In Short

• OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has shared his insights on the future of AI.
• He described the stress associated with responsibly navigating the path to powerful AI.
• He also highlighted a crucial aspect of human nature - forgiveness.

In a thought-provoking panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shared his insights on the future of artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential impact on human society. The conversation, moderated by CNN's Fareed Zakaria, delved into the core competence of human beings and the challenges posed by the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI).

Altman, faced with Zakaria's question about what humans excel at when compared to AGI, admitted that the panel, including himself, struggled to provide a convincing answer. He highlighted a crucial aspect of human nature - forgiveness. Altman pointed out that humans are forgiving of each other's mistakes but not as forgiving when it comes to errors made by machines.

Using autonomous driving as an example, Altman emphasized society's acceptance of mistakes made by human taxi drivers while expressing a lower tolerance for errors by self-driving cars. This discrepancy in forgiveness forms a significant challenge as AI continues to advance.

The discussion also touched on the ability of humans to understand and cater to the interests of others. Altman suggested that people possess an innate understanding of human interests, a sentiment not entirely echoed by fellow panelist Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce. Benioff speculated that, in the near future, AI could take on the role of moderators, anticipating and responding to the audience's needs without human intervention.

The conversation turned toward the delicate balance between AI and human decision-making. Altman asserted that, despite the advancements in AI, humans would continue to play a crucial role in making decisions about the world. He acknowledged the distinct nature of general-purpose cognition, expressing a belief that humanity would retain the authority to shape the future.

Both Altman and Benioff acknowledged the growing concerns as AI progresses towards AGI. Altman predicted increasing stress and tension in society as AGI development advanced, citing his experience during a week when he was briefly ousted from control of OpenAI. He described the heightened emotions and stress associated with responsibly navigating the path to powerful AI.

In a statement, Benioff emphasized the importance of ensuring the responsible development of AI, stating, "We just want to make sure that people don’t get hurt. We don’t want something to go really wrong. We don’t want to have a Hiroshima moment."

Published By:
Ankita Garg
Published On:
Jan 22, 2024