In the coming decades, we will be able to achieve many things that would seem magical to our grandparents. With rapid technological advancements, we are on the brink of an intelligence revolution, with artificial intelligence (AI) serving as the core driving force of this transformation. Sam Altman, founder of OpenAI, wrote today (9/23) to explore these changes and their profound implications for society and the future of humanity.
Table of Contents
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AI will enhance human societal progress
How AI will change work and learning
A future of shared prosperity: Beyond today’s affluence
The leap of wisdom in human history: The era of superintelligence
The key to success lies in deep learning
How AI will impact future society
How to ensure the ubiquity of AI
Outlook: A bright future in the age of intelligence
Sam Altman stated that human progress is not a new phenomenon, but it is accelerating today. The achievements we can attain have far surpassed what our ancestors could have imagined. This enhancement does not stem from changes in our genes but from the continuous improvement of social infrastructure, enabling everyone to harness a collective intelligence that is more powerful than that of isolated individuals. Our grandparents and earlier generations laid a solid foundation for human progress. Today, artificial intelligence is providing us with tools to tackle challenges, further driving progress, and building better social structures for future generations. In the future, our children will be able to achieve accomplishments we cannot even imagine.
Sam Altman believes that this process will not happen overnight, but we will soon be able to collaborate with AI to accomplish tasks that were previously unattainable alone. Ultimately, each of us may have our own dedicated AI team, with these virtual experts collaborating across various fields to help us realize nearly any conceivable idea. For the next generation, AI tutors can provide personalized instruction, regardless of the subject or language, and guide learners at their own pace.
Moreover, fields such as healthcare and software development will undergo tremendous changes, turning many of our currently elusive dreams into reality. The power of AI will not only enhance individual capabilities but will also assist us in achieving broader shared prosperity.
Sam Altman noted that this shared prosperity could exceed our current imagination. In the future, everyone’s life could be better than that of today’s affluent class. Although wealth alone does not guarantee happiness, it can significantly improve the quality of life for people globally.
From a narrow perspective, Sam Altman stated that the evolution of human history can be interpreted as a result of scientific discoveries and technological advancements. The accumulation over thousands of years has enabled us to extract chips from molten sand and to build increasingly powerful AI systems with astonishing precision and micro-scale capabilities. This process may be one of the most influential phenomena in history. Since the breakthroughs in deep learning technology, we may enter the era of superintelligence within just a few thousand days. While it may take longer, I firmly believe we will ultimately arrive.
Sam Altman emphasized, how did we reach the threshold of this leap in prosperity? The answer lies in: “Deep learning has succeeded.” More specifically, deep learning becomes stronger as its scale expands, and we are investing more resources to push this technology forward. Humanity has discovered an algorithm that can truly learn any data distribution. With the increase in computational power and data, this technology has helped us solve many challenging problems, and the potential for future technological development is staggering.
Sam Altman asserted that while many details still need to be addressed, the core role of deep learning is undeniable. The expansion of AI will lead to improvements in quality of life on a global scale and make personal assistant-type AI a reality, assisting people in various tasks, from healthcare to scientific breakthroughs.
From the Stone Age to the Agricultural Age, then to the Industrial Age, we are now on the path to the “Age of Intelligence.” This path is paved with computational power, energy, and human will.
Sam Altman believes that to make AI technology accessible to everyone, we need to lower computational costs and ensure sufficient supply of energy and chips. If we do not actively build the necessary infrastructure, AI could become a scarce resource, leading to competition for resources or even wars, and serve only the affluent class.
We must act cautiously but also with determination. The arrival of the Age of Intelligence will bring immense challenges, but the potential benefits are so great that we have a responsibility to explore how to address future risks.
Sam Altman stated: “I believe the future will be so bright that the words of today cannot fully describe it. We will witness astonishing breakthroughs, such as solutions to climate change, the establishment of space colonies, and even new discoveries in physics. With infinite wisdom and ample energy support, we can achieve almost anything.”
Like past technological revolutions, AI will also bring negative impacts, and we need to prepare in advance to maximize the benefits of AI while minimizing its potential harms. For instance, the labor market will undergo significant changes due to AI in the coming years. While most jobs may change more slowly than people imagine, I am not worried that we will find ourselves with “nothing to do.”
Humans have an innate desire to create and provide value to others, and AI will amplify our abilities in unprecedented ways. Society will enter a new expansion phase, allowing us to focus again on win-win scenarios.
Many of the jobs we do today may seem meaningless to people from hundreds of years ago. However, no one will miss the ways of life from the past. If we could travel a hundred years into the future, the prosperity of that time would also seem unimaginable to us.
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Further Reading
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