A recent report revealed that OpenAI will remove its current non-profit claim and fully transition into a for-profit company.
The topic of AI surpassing human intelligence is highly controversial, with some researchers arguing that it is ultimately an unattainable goal.
According to Altman, the time when AI becomes “smarter” than humans is not too far off. He believes that superintelligent AI will emerge in just “a few thousand days” and will fundamentally change the way we live.
In a blog post he wrote last Monday, Altman expressed his optimistic vision for superintelligence as a technology that will exceed human intelligence, capable of tackling complex issues and accelerating human progress at an unprecedented pace. This post came just a day after a report from The New York Times about Altman’s partnership with former Apple designer Jony Ive to work on a unique AI device.
Altman describes the changes as gradual, noting that they will help achieve “much more than would be possible without AI.” He envisioned a future where children have virtual teachers in various languages, learning at their own pace, along with personalized assistants capable of managing tasks like healthcare arrangements on behalf of individuals.
However, the dawn of the “Age of Intelligence,” as Altman noted, requires that computing costs drop to reasonable levels and that the necessary infrastructure for energy and chip demands flourishes. At the same time, Altman acknowledged the need to “maximize the benefits of AI while minimizing its negative outcomes.”
On the other hand, not all experts share Altman’s viewpoint. Linguist Noam Chomsky and Rodney Brooks, who oversaw the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory for a decade, believe that the impact of generative AI is greatly overstated, arguing that it will not be able to think better than humans.
It’s worth noting that Altman’s statement followed a report from Reuters confirming previous rumors that OpenAI would completely abandon its non-profit roots. Instead of its current complex structure, it will transform into a traditional for-profit company, resulting in Altman acquiring a stake in the business. While this move is largely expected, it marks the true end of an era for the company, which had initially abandoned the idea of open-source AI—after which it was named—and has gradually shifted from developing AI for the benefit of humanity to becoming a conventional company prioritizing profits over all other factors.
