Is Sam Altman right about the future of AI?

It's not every day that a tech CEO morphs into an AI prophet, but when OpenAI's Sam Altman speaks, you know many people will be listening. In a rare blog post published this week, the founder of OpenAI shared his vision of the AI-powered future — or as he dubs it, "The Intelligence Age".

 By the CogX R&I team

September 25, 2024

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has declared that humanity is on the brink of an AI revolution, predicting that "superintelligence" could emerge "in a few thousand days."

Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO, OpenAI / Edited

In a blog post titled "The Intelligence Age", the AI pioneer behind ChatGPT paints a highly optimistic picture of a future where AI will usher in an era of "massive prosperity" and enable breakthroughs that would seem like magic to previous generations.

Altman credits the success of deep learning algorithms as the catalyst for this new era, envisioning AI assistants evolving into "personal AI teams" capable of tackling almost any task imaginable.

While acknowledging potential downsides and labour market disruptions, Altman remains highly optimistic about AI's overall impact on society. "Prosperity alone doesn't necessarily make people happy," he writes, "but it would meaningfully improve the lives of people around the world".

While many critics may dismiss Altman's vision as AI hype, there's no denying that artificial intelligence represents a seismic shift in technology - potentially the most significant since the arrival of the internet or mobile technology.

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Google and OpenAI to Invest in global AI Education

These days, it's hard to go a week without encountering the latest AI innovation poised to transform some industry or another. But as the tech world races ahead, there's also growing concern that many regions, particularly in the developing world, are at risk of being left behind. Google, it seems, appears to have taken note. The tech giant is making a bold move to bridge this widening "AI gap" with a massive push for global AI education.

CEO Sundar Pichai recently unveiled a $120 million fund aimed at bringing AI knowledge to communities worldwide through partnerships with local NGOs and nonprofits. Announced at the UN Summit of the Future, this initiative could position Google at the forefront of addressing the looming "AI divide" in global education.

OpenAI has also launched its new global program, OpenAI Academy, to train developers working in the field of AI and generative AI. While not a full-fledged school, the course is designed to give local developers a boost in the AI arena, awarding over $1 million in API credits to an unspecified number of developers in low- and middle-income countries.

Both Pichai and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman have stressed the importance of building a thriving ecosystem of developers who can build upon the industry's growing capabilities in computing power and deep learning.

Of course, their companies stand to benefit greatly from fostering relationships with up-and-coming developers building new startups. By investing in these communities, they can help cultivate a new generation of talent that could drive innovation — and potentially become their future customers or collaborators. 

Don’t miss out on a panel featuring Northern Data Group

Actionable Intelligence: How Advancing AI Will Combat Cyber Crime

Monday 7th of October 2024, 12.20pm - 1pm at the CogX Summit Main Stage.   In this stellar panel, we'll explore the current biggest threats and vulnerabilities, unveil the most effective AI solutions, discuss how to stay compliant with upcoming regulations, and address the pressing questions for business leaders in the year ahead.

Also in the news

Apple's AI Gamble: Apple's much-anticipated iPhone 16 hit stores on Friday, but with a twist: its headline-grabbing AI features won't be available right away. Despite receiving some backlash over its delayed AI features, Apple's newest iPhone has seen strong sales.

The new king of open-source LLMs? Chinese tech giant Alibaba has released over 100 new open-source AI models from its Qwen 2.5 family. This move, coupled with their groundbreaking text-to-video AI tool, demonstrates their potential to become a leading force in AI development.

AI needs nuclear power: Three Mile Island, the site of the worst nuclear accident in the US, is poised for a comeback. A 20-year deal with Microsoft could see the plant restarted to power their growing AI operations

Now everyone can be a game developer

Electronic Arts is set to shake up the video game industry with its newest AI model. This innovative tool allows users to create entire games from scratch without any coding knowledge.

Here are some key features of EA's "Imagination to Creation" system:

Users can instantly modify game elements, from settings to character appearances and gameplay mechanics

The AI responds to quick prompts, allowing for real-time game adjustments and immediate playability

The tech demo showcased a Minecraft-inspired game with a maze of cardboard boxes. Players were able to adjust the setting and rules of the game midway through the play session.

While still in the conceptual stage, this AI-powered tool could democratise game creation, allowing anyone to bring their gaming visions to life.

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