OpenAI boss predicts "age of intelligence"

In a much-noticed new blog post, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman predicts an "age of intelligence". Artificial intelligence will enable enormous prosperity and groundbreaking achievements, he writes – without, however, naming a specific reason for the timing of his publication. At the same time, he also argues that AI will require a lot of energy and chips. Computing power must become cheaper. If AI remains a limited resource, wars could break out and there is a risk that AI will become a tool for rich people, he warns.

The blog post also mentions other risks of the new age, such as changes in the labor market. However, Altman is convinced that the changes will be much slower than most people think and that there will still be jobs for everyone. In a few hundred years' time, many of today's jobs would be seen in retrospect as a trivial waste of time – a perspective that a lamplighter from the past would have on today's present.

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Solving mankind's big problems

Overall, Altman paints an extremely positive picture of the future: AI will provide people with new tools to solve difficult problems such as the climate crisis or the mysteries of physics. He outlines an age in which everyone will be able to call on a team of personal AI assistants, which will lead to improvements in the areas of education, health and software development. The development of AI could prove to be one of the most momentous advances in human history.

The breakthrough has been achieved by deep learning, which is getting better and better as resources increase. According to him, it would be a mistake "to be distracted by one particular challenge". The time ahead for humanity will not be a "wholly positive story", "but the benefits are so enormous that we owe it to ourselves and to the future to figure out how to manage the risks ahead."

What critics criticize

Altman's post triggers debate: While some interpret his comments as an imminent announcement of a superintelligence, which he expects in "a few thousand days" according to the blog post, others see more of a connection to international ambitions to regulate AI more closely. This would probably also have an impact on OpenAI's business ambitions. Some suspect a connection to upcoming financing rounds.

Critics complain that Altman excludes existential risks that are feared due to AI. The blog post also remains too vague for some, particularly with regard to the question of how exactly the changes in the labor market should take place or with regard to technical details.

(mki)