My Contrarian Perspectives on Why Sam Altman was Dispensable.
See Definition of Terms & Acronyms in Footnote.
If you understand how the engines of corporate missions work, Sam Altman's present dilemma will not come to you as a surprise.
Honestly, with his going about announcing how he was optimistic about building AGI soon, even asking Microsoft for the funding… he was only exposing himself as a threat to corporate dominance & profit.
Microsoft quickly scooped up OpenAI with their successful implementation of GPT for LLM. There was great potential, but the CEO, Sam Altman, like Nikola Tesla or Steve Jobs, seemed to have their head stuck in the clouds (becoming too ambitious).
How can he be talking about building AGI when the profit from ChatGPT (Narrow AI) had not been properly scooped… Microsoft is known for squeezing out every last drop from its service/subscription-based business. ChatGPT would be no exception.
At the moment, Microsoft has already begun plans for designing their own AI chips (outside of Nvidia), following after Google & Amazon.
With OpenAI's technology success on the one hand and their ability to scale up processing, using their soon-to-be-released Super-processing Maia chips (105 Billion Transistors), I believe Microsoft wants to lockdown on the current Generative AI space.
For Microsoft, the race to pursue AGI will be run on another leg…
Cleaning all the profit from Generative AI is a good enough goal.
Sam Altman, like Nikola Tesla in his day, was mostly concerned with advancing the reach of innovation, in which case, AGI is the next frontier. A noble ambition if you ask me (since I mostly fall within this frame of thinking).
I believe AGI will inadvertently be developed (maybe even by China, surprising how quiet they have been all this while), but I don't think developing AGI is the goal of most corporate boards at the moment. Profit is always a priority for capitalist-induced boards (an unfortunate dilemma for human society if you ask me).
The concern of how quickly AGI can accelerate into ASI is hanging.
There is really a lot going under the hood of the AI space… I believe the future has caught up to us at a time when we are ill-prepared.
Transhumanism is quietly brewing at the side, and Quantum Computing may suddenly shock us one day with a shout of true Quantum Supremacy.
Nanotechnology and robotics are making their rounds in silence across labs worldwide. Extended Realities (AR/VR/MR) are awaiting the material collapse of society to fill in the void speciously. The truth is that technology is ready for a Singularity; humans are not.
Sorry for my veering off-topic. Back to the issue of Sam Altman. I believe there are numerous labs (though fringe) who are studiously working on developing AGI, though they wouldn't have the advantage of mega financing, which Sam Altman thought he had secured through the Microsoft deal.
I think he failed to learn Nikola Tesla's lesson - old men after profit do not change, and old dogs are not interested in new tricks.
Sam will be fine, and not AGI will save the world. It is humans learning not to prioritize profit & greed. Humans learn that technology, with its advantages, shouldn't be taken from a selfish, self-preservative mindset –this will do us more good than ASI.
I hate that I am starting to sound idealistic, but… these are the truths we will all have to come to squarely as Technology keeps unveiling the reality of human nature.
Our biggest investment now should be in the re-rendering of human nature. Love, compassion & altruism… These are the things that make technology and even profit meaningful.
Foot Note: Definition of Terms
- AI - Artificial Intelligence
- AGI - Artificial General Intelligence
- ASI - Artificial Super Intelligence
- LLM - Large Language Models
- GPT - Generative Pre-Trained Transformers
-Transhumanism - The idea that technology can help humans build real Utopia *My way of definition.
- kelly Idehen
Top comments (5)
True, they did not see the massive support Sam would get from within the company, this kind of competition will kneel cap OpenAI in the future.
I figure only time will determine what kind of turnaround we will see but I know the chess game is still on.
Agree?
He joined Microsoft as a team leader of AI department
was it a smart move?
And that article also implies that they removed him for being too "Corporate" and seeking profit over benefit to humanity... Perhaps it's better to never meet your heroes.
I think the article is just speculative, I would love to see the real play which I believe will happen soon.
Time will tell but for now, we wait.