The Man Behind ChatGPT Is About To Have His Moment On Capitol Hill
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For several months in 2017, there were rumors that Sam Altman was going to run for governor of California. Instead, he kept his job as one of Silicon Valley's most influential investors and entrepreneurs.
But now Altman is preparing for a different political debut.
Altman, CEO and co-founder of OpenAI, the artificial intelligence company behind the viral chatbot ChatGPT and image maker Dall-E, will testify before Congress on Tuesday. His appearance is part of a Senate subcommittee hearing on the dangers of artificial intelligence to society and the protections needed for the technology.
According to multiple reports, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are also expected to have dinner with Altman on Monday night. It is noted that dozens of parliamentarians intend to participate. One Republican congressman described the event as part of a congressional process to assess "the tremendous potential and unprecedented threat that artificial intelligence poses to humanity."
Earlier this month, Altman was one of several chief technology officers who met with Vice President Kamala Harris and briefly President Joe Biden to emphasize the importance of building ethical and responsible AI.
The hearings and meetings come as ChatGPT has fueled a new AI arms race. More and more tech companies have been introducing new AI tools in recent months that have the potential to change the way we work, shop and interact with each other. However, the same tools have also been criticized by some of the biggest names in tech for their potential to destroy millions of jobs, spread misinformation and perpetuate bias.
As CEO of OpenAI, perhaps more than any other individual figure, Altman has become the face of a new artificial intelligence product that can generate images and text in response to user queries. This week's trial can only confirm his status as a key player in AI's rapid growth, as well as draw more attention to him and his company.
Those who knew Altman described him as a brilliant thinker, someone who made bets in advance and was even nicknamed "Rookie Yoda." In an interview this year, Altman noted that he was aware of the risks of AI and was even "a little intimidated" by the technology. He and his company are committed to moving forward responsibly.
"If anyone knows where he's going, it's Sam," Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky wrote in a post about Altman, who was named to Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People list this year. "But Sam also knows he doesn't have all the answers. He's often said, 'What do you think?' I might be wrong. Thank God that someone with such strength also has such humility."
Others want Altman and OpenAI to be more cautious. Elon Musk, who co-founded OpenAI before leaving the group, signed a letter with dozens of tech leaders, professors and researchers calling on AI labs like OpenAI to stop using high-performance AI systems for at least six months, and states: serious risks". for society". and humanity."
Altman said he agreed with parts of the letter. "I think it's very important to be careful and raise awareness about safety issues," Altman said at an event last month. "A card that I don't think is the optimal way to handle it."
OpenAI declined to be interviewed for this story.
The next Bill Gates
ChatGPT's success may have brought Altman more publicity, but he's been a familiar figure in Silicon Valley for years.
Before co-founding OpenAI with Musk in 2015, Altman, a native of Missouri, studied computer science at Stanford University, but dropped out to launch Loopt, an app that lets users share their location with friends and take advantage of coupon offers for businesses. . approx.
In 2005, Loopt became part of the first group of companies at the famous technology accelerator Y Combinator. Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham later described Altman as "a very unusual guy."
"I remember that three minutes after meeting him I thought: "Oh, this was Bill Gates when he was 19," Graham wrote in a 2006 post.
Loopt was acquired in 2012 for about $43 million. Two years later, Altman replaced Graham as president of Y Combinator. The position allowed Altman to connect with many influential figures in the technology industry. It also stays on top of the throttle in 2019.
Margaret O'Mara, a technology historian and professor at the University of Washington, told CNN that Altman "has long been admired as a wise and important man, and only at the forefront of technology for 'a very small number of people.' mighty men and more than... many.' Effect":
During the Trump administration, Altman has gained renewed attention as an outspoken critic of the president. With that in mind, he reportedly considered running for governor of California.
Instead of running for office, Altman is looking for candidates who align with his values, which include a lower cost of living, clean energy and using 10% of the defense budget for research and development of future technologies.
Altman continues to advance some of these goals through his work in the private sector. It invests in Helion, a fusion research firm that last week signed a deal with Microsoft to sell the tech giant clean energy through 2028.
Altman also championed the idea of a universal basic income and suggested that AI could one day help achieve that goal by creating enough wealth to redistribute to the public.
As Graham told the New Yorker of Altman in 2016, "I think the goal is to create the whole future."
An overnight AI sensation is years in the making
Musk and Altman's original mission when launching OpenAI was to overcome fears that AI could harm people and society.
"We talked about what is the best thing we can do to ensure a bright future. Musk told the New York Times about conversations he had with Altman and others before starting the company. "We can either step aside and push for regulatory oversight, or we can commit to having the right structures in place with people who really care about building artificial intelligence that is safe and beneficial to humanity. for":
In an interview at OpenAI's launch, Altman described the company as one of its efforts to advance AI technology. "I sleep better knowing that now I can make a difference," he says.
If there's one thing AI fans and critics can agree on today, it's that Altman has clearly succeeded in making an impact on the rapidly evolving technology.
Less than six months after its launch, ChatGPT has become a household name almost synonymous with AI. The CEO uses it to write letters. Real estate agents use it to write listings and draft legal documents. The tool has been tested in law and business schools and has been used to help some students cheat. And OpenAI recently released a more powerful version of the underlying technology, ChatGPT.
Tech giants like Google and Facebook are now trying to catch up. Similar generative AI technologies are quickly appearing in search and productivity tools used by billions of people.
The future that once seemed so far away now seems so close, whether society is ready or not. Altman himself said that he is not sure what the result will be.
O'Mara said he believes Altman fits the "techno-optimistic school of thought that's been prevalent in the Valley for a long time," describing it as "the idea that we can develop technology that can actually make the world." A better place."
While Altman's cautious comments about artificial intelligence contradict that thinking, O'Mara argues that it could be an "extension" of it. At its core, he says, it's "the idea that technology is transformative and can be transformative in a positive way, but it also has so much potential to do so many things that it can actually be harmful."
And if AI somehow helps end society as we know it, Altman may be better equipped than most to adapt.
"I'm prepared to survive," he said in his 2016 New Yorker profile, listing several possible disaster scenarios, including "AI attacking us."
"I try not to think about it too much," Altman said. "But I have weapons, gold, potassium iodide, antibiotics, batteries, water, IDF gas masks and a lot of land in Big Sur to visit."
CNN's Brian Fung contributed to this report.
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