Achieving AGI (artificial general intelligence, another name for superintelligence) is the driving mission of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI. The accomplishment represents the holy grail in the world of machine learning, and it is a priority for tech giants like Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft. In a recent post on X, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman tried to quell rumors and crush the hype surrounding superintelligence and AGI (artificial general intelligence), where fans and enthusiasts are saying it’s already here. The attempt to quiet the noise went viral, receiving 3.1 million views (as of this writing).
AGI Hype vs. Hope from ChatGPT Insiders
Fortune reports that rumors of AGI, which is a type of artificial intelligence that can understand, learn and perform intellectual tasks like a human, has been gaining publicity and posts. Is the hype warranted, or a wish, from ChatGPT enthusiasts? Altman said in a recent blog post that the company behind ChatGPT knows “how to build AGI as we have traditionally understood it”. He went on to say, “We are beginning to turn our aim beyond that, to superintelligence in the true sense of the word. We love our current products, but we are here for the glorious future. With superintelligence, we can do anything else.”
“We are not gonna [sic] deploy AGI next month, nor have we built it,” Altman declared.
Turing award winner, Geoffrey Hinton, says, “Superintelligence is for AGIs that are better than humans. Twenty years ago, I think people would have happily agreed that systems with the ability of GPT-4 or (Google’s) Gemini had achieved general intelligence comparable to that of humans,” Hinton shares. By the way, the Turing award is technology’s Nobel Prize. “Being able to answer more or less any question in a sensible way would have passed the test. But now that AI can do that, people want to change the test.”
ChatGPT Approaching Superintelligence: Are We There Yet?
A top researcher for OpenAI, Noam Brown, shared on X that there’s no reason for the hype. “There are good reasons to be optimistic about further progress, but plenty of unsolved research problems remain,” he said on the social media platform.
OpenAI Product Chief Kevin Weil tells Axios that humanity (read: ChatGPT) is “on the verge” of having AI agents that can complete tasks in the real world. The real superintelligence is being able to discern fact from fiction, it seems. Axios reports that OpenAI this past week released an “Economic Blueprint” arguing that with the right rules and infrastructure investments, AI can “catalyze a reindustrialization across the country.” Phrases and promises like that can spike a company’s valuation – but forward-looking statements are only part of the story. Nevertheless, CEO Sam Altman has scheduled a closed-door meeting with U.S. government officials on January 30, according to reports. Speculation is flooding the interwebs, with talk of PhD-level super agents who are ready and able to handle complex human tasks.
The Leadership Insight that Goes Beyond ChatGPT
If AI is capable of human-level performance, that doesn’t mean it should be treated as a deity. AI offers another perspective, and another voice, in the dialogue – in much the same way you would respond to an expert colleague, knowing that none of us is as smart as all of us. You would never abdicate your decision-making authority to someone with years of experience or advanced education. When you go to your doctor, you are meeting with an expert – but ultimately, the choices you make are your own. Similarly, AI (even AGI) can inform human decisions, simplify repetitive tasks, and offer a course of action. Choice rests with you.
Even with advancements in AI, as the saying goes, “there’s no accounting for taste”. AI uses the past to predict the future, so it struggles with interpreting patterns that it hasn’t seen before. On matters of opinion, intuition, prediction and human wisdom, AI is at a disadvantage. But working with AI and even AI agents can make a huge difference in so many areas or work – if we understand how to collaborate with its potential. The message for every business out there is: you have a new team member called ChatGPT. Look beyond the hype, and do what you do best: build a team around the resources that will help your business to grow. If ChatGPT performs at or near human levels, extend it at or near human levels of respect. And suspicion. Not submission. That kind of collaboration isn’t based on superintelligence from ChatGPT – it’s just the most intelligent way to work with a new almost-human partner.
