OpenAI CEO Sam Altman氏と塾生との対話／Open dialogue between OpenAI CEO and Keio students

Summary

In a special session at KO University, Sam Altman, the creator of Chat GPT and Open AI, engages in a dialogue with students and faculty. Altman discusses the significance of AI's role in society, emphasizing its potential to enhance human capabilities and contribute to scientific progress. He addresses concerns about AI's impact on jobs, the importance of aligning AI with human values, and the challenges of managing the technology's ethical and legal risks. Altman also shares insights on the future of AI, its applications in education, and the importance of embracing new tools for societal advancement. The discussion highlights the ongoing evolution of AI and the need for a global, cooperative approach to ensure its benefits are widely distributed and its risks are mitigated.

Takeaways

• 🤝 Open dialogue is a tradition at KO University, which has hosted various world leaders and opinion leaders to foster exchange between generations.
• 👥 Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI and creator of Chat GPT, has a significant role in shaping the future of AI and has a strong relationship with KO University.
• 📈 Sam Altman was previously the CEO of Y Combinator, a leading startup accelerator responsible for launching thousands of successful companies.
• 🧠 The development of AI like Chat GPT is not just about statistical processing; it's about creating systems that are useful and can provide value to people.
• 📚 AI has the potential to revolutionize education, much like the calculator did for math education, by changing how we teach, learn, and evaluate student work.
• 🌐 Japan is seen as a crucial country for AI development due to its history of human-machine collaboration and eagerness to embrace automation technology.
• 🚀 The motivation within the OpenAI team is driven by the exciting prospect of building AGI (Artificial General Intelligence), which is considered the most impactful problem to work on.
• 🤔 Legal and ethical challenges, such as copyright and privacy issues, are significant concerns that need to be managed as AI technology becomes more powerful.
• 🌟 The future of AI is expected to include models that can generate fundamental new ideas and contribute to scientific progress, potentially reshaping society.
• 💡 Entrepreneurship in AI involves overcoming numerous challenges, but the key is to learn and adapt quickly, with each challenge felt as existential but surmountable.
• ✅ Altman believes that AI has the potential to help everyone, particularly the poor, by driving down the cost of cognitive labor and services, though societal adjustments will be necessary.

Q & A

What is KO University's tradition regarding dialogues?

KO University has a tradition of open dialogue between world leaders and next-generation leaders, which includes students. They have hosted various influential figures such as the NATO Secretary General and the Korean president.

Who is Sam Altman and what is his significance in the tech industry?

Sam Altman is the creator of Chat GPT and was the CEO of Y Combinator, an iconic technology startup accelerator responsible for launching over 4,000 companies, including Airbnb, Dropbox, and Coinbase.

What is Professor Kyoko Hirose's background?

Professor Kyoko Hirose is an expert in linguistics and natural language processing. Before joining KO University, she was a member of the Japanese language processing group at IBM Tokyo Research Laboratory and received her PhD in linguistics from the University of California, Berkeley.

Why did Sam Altman return to Japan for the special session at KO University?

Sam Altman returned to Japan because it is a super important country for his work, with a long history of humans and machines working together. He also mentioned having had great meetings during his previous visit about potential partnerships.

How does Sam Altman view the current state of AI's understanding of human language?

Sam Altman believes that AI is getting to the point where it can be considered to understand human language if it is as useful as talking to a human. He emphasizes the utility and value it provides to people, even if the way it understands is different from human understanding.

What is the potential future role of AI in education according to Sam Altman?

Sam Altman sees AI as a new tool in education, similar to a calculator for words. He believes that as the tools become more advanced, the way we teach and evaluate students will have to change, and that learning to think will be a crucial part of education.

What challenges did Sam Altman face in the early days of OpenAI?

In the early days of OpenAI, Sam Altman faced numerous challenges including running out of money, difficulty in getting a compute deal, hiring good people, and finding a product to work on. The team had no product for the first four years.

How does Sam Altman envision the future of large language models?

Sam Altman believes that large language models will continue to advance, incorporating other modalities like video, audio, and images. He is particularly excited about the next paradigm where these models can generate fundamental new ideas and contribute to scientific progress.

What are the legal and ethical risks associated with AI that concern Sam Altman?

Sam Altman is concerned about legal and ethical risks such as copyright issues. He believes that legal systems will have to evolve and that it's important to create a world where everyone benefits from the AI revolution.

How does Sam Altman motivate his team at OpenAI?

According to Sam Altman, the motivation of the team at OpenAI is intrinsic, driven by the exciting and impactful nature of building AGI. The team also has a culture of putting aside personal differences to focus on the importance of their work.

What advice does Sam Altman have for students interested in AI and technology?

Sam Altman advises students to study subjects like science or technology to learn how to think and adapt quickly to change. He also encourages staying close to the tools, being willing to change life plans, and getting familiar with AI as it will be valuable in the future.