In the wake of Sam Altman's abrupt departure, Emmett Shear steps in as interim CEO of OpenAI, the company behind the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT. Recently, the Ex-Twitch boss appeared in the podcast The Logan Bartlett Show and expressed his concerns about artificial intelligence.
Mr. Shear, during the podcast, said that "upsides usually outweigh downsides, and every technology can be misused." He further mentioned that he believes, that as AI improves, it will be able to solve problems that include "all of the things you would need to design artificial intelligence." He also stated that AI has the capability of overpowering human civilization, which is a significant risk, and the chances of such an event happening are estimated to be between 2-50%.
Mr Shear believes that currently, AI requires human intervention for its enhancement, but there will come a time when it can autonomously and rapidly improve itself. Such advancements in AI pose a potential threat as "intelligence is power." He added, "It's like a universe-destroying bomb. it's bad in a way that makes global warming not a problem."
With the recent changes within OpenAI, particularly the appointment of a new CEO, it will be interesting to see what Mr Shear has to offer. Meanwhile, Sam Altman is set to lead a new AI research team at Microsoft, as announced by Microsoft chief Satya Nadella. Mr Altman's addition to Microsoft may prove advantageous in furthering the company's AI aspirations.
Mr Shear, 40, stepped down as CEO of Amazon. com-owned Twitch this March after more than 16 years at the live video streaming platform, according to Reuters.
The opinions of various tech experts and CEOs reflect apprehension regarding the capabilities of AI, and the potential domination of technology over humans is a cause for concern.
