By Seli Baisie
Sam Altman, the chief executive of ChatGPT’s OpenAI, has addressed some misconceptions surrounding GPT-4, the latest iteration of OpenAI’s language model, describing it “as a tool, not a creature”.
Altman, who testified before US lawmakers on Tuesday, May 16 said it’s important to think about GPT-4 “as a tool, not a creature”.
“It’s a tool that people have a great deal of control,” on how they use it. He adds that it is a tool for tasks, rather than jobs.
The ChatGPT Boss sought to dispel any misinterpretations about GPT-4, clarifying that it is not an autonomous being with consciousness. Instead, he emphasized that GPT-4 is an incredibly sophisticated tool designed to enhance human productivity and assist with a wide range of tasks.
Asked about what his biggest nightmare regarding AI developments would be, Altman says that “he expects there to be significant impact on jobs, but exactly what that impact will be is hard to predict”.
Reflecting on the course of technological advancements throughout history, he says that as technology grows, our quality of life raises as well.
He adds that “he is very optimistic about how great the jobs in the future will be”.
He also stated that in time, generative AI developed by OpenAI will “address some of humanity’s biggest challenges, like climate change and curing cancer.”
However, given the risk of disinformation, jobs, and other problems, “we think that regulatory intervention by governments will be critical to mitigating the risks of increasingly powerful models,” Altman said.