Recommendations of the Editorial team
It is not the case that Sam Altman silences the potential threat that emanates from artificial intelligence. The head of Openaai, the company behind the global most used AI assistant Chatgpt, warned two years ago of the danger from disinformation.
It could already have an impact on elections and play authoritarian regimes that use AI. Before the US Congress, he only asked in a sensational step months later that artificial intelligence was regulated early before a superintelligence gets out of control.
So far it is not yet, but even technically inexperienced users of the numerous AI chatbots may have recognized that the further development of artificial intelligence is astonishing within a very short time.
The possibilities of using it currently seem almost infinite: KI could not only provide information in the future, but also recognize our inner constitution; Individual patterns of spirit and body recognized by KI should lead to personalized healing methods and AI could simulate complex societies in real time in order to play through political, ecological or ethical experiments, which would lead to much larger scope for politicians.
Sam Altman asks: Who controls AI?
In an interview with Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Axel Springer, Altman, previously awarded the Axel Springer Award, also provides the progress of artificial intelligence and AI assistant (“This was the year in which I believe that the AI has become smarter than we do”), but also remains skeptical. The 40-year-old tech visionary is the first guest in Döpfner’s new podcast “Md meets” (premiere: October 01), who wants to offer authentic dialogues on the central questions of the present.
Altman’s greatest fear is currently that AI will be misjudged. “The model takes control of the world by chance,” he explains, and means that many decisions and information offers from Chatgpt and other chatbots are accepted because they are simply trusted. But Ki think “around the corner” and recognize connections that remain hidden to many people. “In the end we all do what a AI assistant tells us. At least those who want to be most competitive.”
In other words, if the AI recognizes what effect it creates, this also flows into the training data. In the end, the question remains: Who will check all of this? Because: “Our technological possibilities race our wisdom.”
An important part of the conversation between Altman and Döpfner revolves around the military use of artificial intelligence with a view to developments in the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. “AI changes the image of warfare this decade,” predicts the Openai boss. He believes that armies have not yet fully understood the possibilities. Altman: “If the last war was waged with rifles, assume that the next one will also be run with rifles. But this will not be the case.”
Of course, it is obvious that “bad actors”, as Altman calls it, could use artificial intelligence for aggressive purposes. The software developer sees the solution in putting better AI in the hands of good people. In this context, Altman confirms that it is important to work with armaments companies.
However, if there is a superintelligence, people could be helpless without technological support. “But,” says Altman, “if all good people also have superintelligence, hopefully the balance of power in the world will be preserved – and since there are more good people than bad people, the good prevails.”
It is already a fact that AI systems have long been going beyond what many imagine. Altman: “In most parts of the world, only chatt is still used. There have long been systems that exceed the smartest people in difficult tasks.” AI has long been more than a chat bot and a arithmetic machine and soon able to enable a profound change for economy and research.
Publisher Döpfner plans to talk to influential personalities and pioneers of our time from politics, science, art, technology and business for his podcast “MD meets”. He also promises “completely unexpected”.