AI has become an integral part of our existence. The emergence of superintelligent AI is imminent.
AI has become an integral part of our existence. The emergence of superintelligent AI is imminent.
When it comes to assessing AI's influence in our world, we should revisit a basic measure – discovering what people are utilizing it for on a daily basis.
During a chat right before Christmas, Bari Weiss from the Free Press interviewed Sam Altman, the mastermind behind ChatGPT technologies and the head of OpenAI. Weiss wanted to know how we could gauge its impact.
According to Altman, it's the speed at which this technology is gaining popularity with a broader audience that leaves a lasting impression.
“People are really using it a lot,” Altman claimed, “I've never seen a technology get so widely adopted this quickly.”
AI and the Essence of Search
When she questioned him about his personal experience with the technology, Altman echoed Weiss's earlier observation – people are using ChatGPT primarily for search purposes.
Altman shared his switch to using ChatGPT as his default search engine and how frequently he relied on it for real-time web information, instead of the slower conventional hyperlink process.
He referred to the updated search method as 'search,' but younger generations might call it 'chatting information up.'
Weiss brought up a 'September manifesto' in which Altman spoke about future changes.
Altman asked us to envision what our world might look like in 18 months, as we approach the end of 2026.
He explained how superintelligence might emerge due to rapid scientific advancement during this period.
However, Altman has been vocal about the resilience of human nature in an AI-driven world.
“It won’t alter the deep, fundamental human desires,” he told Weiss, “but the world around us will go through enormous changes.”
Upon revisiting that manifesto, which I covered at the time, it also underscored the importance of humanity.
The Role of Humans
“People have an innate drive to create and be helpful to each other,” Altman wrote, “and AI will enhance our abilities beyond what we’ve ever seen before. As a society, we will once again find ourselves in a growing world, allowing us to concentrate on collaborative, beneficial games.”
It could be worth revisiting the rest of that argument, considering issues like job displacement. Altman also pointed out that:
“Many jobs performed today would be considered trivial time-wasters by people a few centuries ago, but nobody from the past would pine for the chance to be a lamplighter. If a lamplighter could see the world today, they’d be amazed by the prosperity all around. And if we could glance a hundred years into the future from today, the prosperity we see now would still feel unimaginable.”
Hopefully, Altman's predictions come to fruition, and we can find innovative ways to utilize humans in an era where AI and robots are capable of accomplishing so much. It is something worth pondering as the year draws to a close.
In the context of digital transformation, enterprises are increasingly leveraging AI for various applications, including process automation and data analysis. This trend is further accelerating the integration of AI into everyday enterprise tech solutions.
The rapid adoption of AI, as emphasized by Sam Altman, is not limited to specialized tech professionals but is permeating broader society, especially in the realm of digital search, with tools like ChatGPT serving as a prime example.