Sam Altman’s big claims as ex-OpenAI CEO: ChatGPT in India, AGI, AI and elections

The unsettling chaos following Altman’s sacking is plausible considering the towering claims the young CEO made when he was at the helm of the affairs. From his views on startups, and productivity, to his claims about AGI, here is a look at some of his big statements as the CEO of OpenAI. 

On the possibilities with AGI

Artificial General Intelligence or AGI has been a topic of contention ever since AI and everything surrounding it became a mainstream conversation point. AGI is essentially a hypothetical capability of AI systems to emulate all the cognitive abilities of the human mind. While the idea has triggered excitement and fear in equal measure, several tech bosses have tossed their ideas around this superintelligence. In one of his recent interviews, Altman said that GPT-3, and GPT-4 were all steps towards AGI. In his interaction with The Wall Street Journal, Altman said that “‘affordable, abundant energy and AGI” will matter the most in the next decade to improve the human condition. He went on to share his thoughts on why one should not fear AGI. “We’ll be able to express ourselves in new creative ways. We will make incredible things for each other, for ourselves, for the world, for this unfolding human story,” he was quoted as saying by the journal.

On raising more money from Microsoft

AI models need billions of dollars worth of investment and humongous amounts of computing power. Microsoft has been backing the AI start-up for some time now. The tech giant invested for the first time in 2019 when it poured in $ 1 billion, subsequently the company invested $10 billion after GPT-3.5 was launched in January 2023. It had invested another $2 billion in 2021. In his recent interview with Financial Times, Altman said that he was hoping to raise more money from Microsoft to pour into OpenAI’s vision of AGI. In the same interview, he said that the partnership between OpenAI and Microsoft was working ‘really well’. While he did not divulge details about the timeline of creating AGI, he said that the vision was how to make AGI safe and figure out the benefits. 

Sam Vs Elon

It is a widely known fact that both Altman and Musk are not on the best of terms. The duo has been exchanging barbs for quite some time. The Tesla boss has been working towards creating his own chatbot ever since ChatGPT took flight and brought about a revolution. In one of the recent instances, Altman took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to take a potshot at Musk’s recently launched AI chatbot Grok. In his tweet, Altman wrote, “GPTs can save a lot of effort”. The tweet was a few days after OpenAI had hosted its first-ever developer conference where it extolled the capabilities of GPT Builder, a tool that allows anyone without coding know how to make their own GPTs. He shared a screenshot in his tweet that showed him asking GPT Builder to “Be a chatbot that answers questions with cringey boomer humour in an awkward shock-to-get-laughs sort of way.” The GPT Builder responded by saying “Great, the chatbot is set up! Its name is Grok. How do you like the name, or would you prefer something else?” 

Sam Altman on startups

Altman is a believer in small teams. In an interaction in Melbourne, Australia, Altman said that it was easier with smaller teams to make decisive and clear concentrated bets. “Innovation is easier with a relatively small team that has to make a decisive and clear concentrated bet and that doesn’t tolerate any mediocre performers. that’s it,” he was quoted as saying at the event. As of May 2023, Altman’s stakes in various startups were estimated to be around $500 million, as per observer.com. That’s not all, Altman has reportedly funded nearly 100 companies including Humane, Neuralink, and Reddit. 

On AI and Humanity 

Altman in his Melbourne interaction said that while intelligence is something that distinguishes humans from other beings, it is not merely computational ability. With AI evolving rapidly, the CEO said that he felt humans will adapt to the new change much similar to how they got accustomed to the earlier technological advancements such as industrial revolutions and the introduction of computers. He said that AI will challenge humans to think about the space they occupy in a world where machines will overtake various forms of intelligence. While AI risk dominated most conversations, Altman has consistently focussed on the positive potential of the technology. He said that he was hoping for more discussions on the ‘upside scenarios’ of AI. 

On AI and elections

Since AI has been taking precedence over conventional technologies in most industries, it is only reasonable to expect it to have some influence on elections. The thought of AI in elections has been causing a stir for some time now. In August, Altman took to his X account and shared his apprehensions around the same. In his thread, the former OpenAI CEO expressed his concerns regarding the role of AI in future elections. He contemplated how AI will be used for something called ‘personalised persuasion and high-quality generated media’ as well as the importance of recognising these as forces that could shape public sentiments. “I am nervous about the impact AI is going to have on future elections (at least until everyone gets used to it). personalised 1:1 persuasion, combined with high-quality generated media, is going to be a powerful force,” read his tweet. 

Sam Altman on Indian ChatGPT

In June, Altman came to India and discussed the future of AI with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also met several tech experts from India. However, Altman was soon at the centre of controversy over his comments. In one of the interactions, former Google India Head Rajan Anandan asked Altman how to create something like ChatGPT in India. Altman responded by saying that creating something like ChatGPT in India would be ‘Pretty Hopeless’. “The way this works is, we’re going to tell you. It’s totally hopeless to compete with us on training foundation models. You shouldn’t try, and it’s your job to like trying anyway. And I believe both of those things. I think it is pretty hopeless,” Altman was quoted as saying at the event. Following his comments, Altman was criticised heavily. However, Altman later clarified his stand by saying that his comments were taken out of context, adding that he had no doubts about the capabilities of Indian startups.