January 17, 2024 – In a recent announcement at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed that human-level artificial intelligence is on the horizon. However, he emphasized that its impact on the world may be smaller than anticipated.
Altman pointed out that while there is a widespread concern about the powerful potential of AI reshaping and disrupting the world, these concerns are exaggerated. He has been consistently working to alleviate skeptics’ concerns about how AI technology might take over society.
Specifically addressing general artificial intelligence, Altman predicted its potential development in the “fairly near future.” The company he leads gained mainstream attention with the rapid rise of the ChatGPT chatbot released at the end of 2022. Altman noted that AI has not, as feared by many economists, massively replaced jobs but has instead become an “incredible tool” for enhancing productivity.
In November of the previous year, Altman faced a brief dismissal due to the OpenAI board’s concerns about AI safety and questions about his leadership role. However, he quickly returned to his position following strong opposition from employees and investors.
It is reported that Altman, born on April 22, 1985, in Chicago, Illinois, USA, showed an early interest in information technology and the internet. At the age of 8, he learned programming, and at 9, he received a computer as a birthday gift, sparking his curiosity from a very young age.
In 2015, Altman co-founded OpenAI with Elon Musk, then CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. The establishment of this non-profit artificial intelligence company aimed to ensure that AI would not eliminate humanity.
