In a recent blog post, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shared that he believes the company knows how to create artificial general intelligence (AGI) and is now turning its focus to “superintelligence.” AGI refers to AI systems that are highly autonomous and can outperform humans in most valuable tasks. Altman explained that while they are proud of their current products, OpenAI’s main goal is the "glorious future" of AI.
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Although AGI is a broad concept, OpenAI has its own definition: AI that can outperform humans in the most important work areas.
In his post, Altman hinted that AI systems could start to work alongside humans and significantly improve company performance as early as this year. He emphasized that giving people great AI tools will lead to positive outcomes, benefiting many.
However, today’s AI still has major technical problems. AI can make mistakes, produce inaccurate information, and be costly. Despite these challenges, Altman is confident these issues can be fixed soon. However, as the past few years have shown, predicting AI’s development can be tricky.
At the same time, Altman highlighted the need for safety when creating superintelligence. OpenAI has admitted that transitioning to a world with superintelligent AI is not guaranteed to be smooth, and they don’t yet have all the answers for controlling it. In a 2023 blog post, OpenAI stated that humans might not be able to effectively supervise AI systems that are much smarter than us.
Recently, OpenAI has closed some teams that focused on AI safety, and several key researchers have left the company. These staff members have pointed to OpenAI’s growing focus on commercial goals as their reason for leaving. OpenAI is also restructuring to attract more investors.
When asked about criticisms that OpenAI isn’t prioritizing safety enough, Altman pointed to the company’s track record, saying it speaks for itself.