Sam Altman's Boundless Ambition: Building AGI at Any Cost

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, recently expressed his unwavering determination to achieve artificial general intelligence (AGI) during a talk at Stanford eCorner. He boldly stated, "Whether we spend $500 million, $5 billion, or $50 billion a year, I don't care. I genuinely don't, as long as we can create far more value for society than that and find a way to cover the costs."

Altman firmly believes that OpenAI is on a trajectory to develop AGI, and he considers the expense entirely worthwhile. "We are making AGI, and it is going to be expensive and totally worth it," he added.

Regarding ChatGPT, Altman acknowledged its limitations, stating, "GPT-4 is the dumbest model anyone of you will ever have to use." However, he emphasized the importance of iterative development, explaining that shipping early and often is part of OpenAI's strategy.

Altman believes that developing AGI openly is crucial, stating, "If we go build AGI in the basement, then the world is walking blissfully blindfolded." He considers transparency essential for being good neighbors and acknowledges that AGI's development is inevitable.

Looking ahead, Altman predicted that GPT-5 would be much smarter than GPT-4, and GPT-6 would surpass GPT-5. "We are not near the top of this curve…and it is always going to get better," he added.

Reflecting on OpenAI's beginnings, Altman admitted they didn't anticipate the significant computational resources required. "We didn't know that we are going to have this nice business," he said, explaining that their initial goal was simply to advance AI research.

Altman's stance on burning substantial funds for AGI development has sparked discussions online, with some acknowledging the potential transformative impact of AGI on humanity, while others question the vast expenditure.

Earlier this year, reports surfaced that Altman was seeking an investor willing to contribute $5 to $7 trillion to reshape the chip and AI industries.