“We believe that the benefits of the tools we have developed so far far outweigh the risks. My biggest fear is that we will cause significant damage to the world.. If this technology goes bad, it can go pretty bad.”, he sentenced sam altman this week in the United States Congress, where he called for regulating the development and uses of artificial intelligence (AI).
Altman, a 38-year-old American and executive director of OpenAI, has been at the helm of the company during the viralization and explosion on the Internet of the ChatGPT and DALL-E platforms, trends due to their advances in AI.
This prominent entrepreneur and technology leader in the field of artificial intelligence, born in Chicago, showed an interest in technology from an early age and in 1993 had access to his first computer. He began studies in computer science at Stanford University, but in 2005 he decided to leave them to enter the business world.
Altman co-founded loop, a location-based social network, and was successful in raising funds for the company. Although the project was not as successful as expected, it demonstrated his business savvy.
OpenAI co-founder… with Elon Musk
His next major step was to join Y Combinator (YC), a well-known tech startup accelerator. During his time at YC, Altman played a crucial role in developing talent and became president of the YC Group.
His outstanding track record drew the attention of media outlets such as BusinessWeek and Forbes, who recognized him as a top investor under 30 in 2015. However, Altman decided to focus on the field of AI and turned to OpenAI, an AI research and implementation organization that he had previously co-founded with prominent figures such as Elon Musk..
OpenAI defines itself as a company with the goal of ensuring that general AI benefits all of humanity. It has gained popularity thanks to tools like DALL-E and ChatGPT, which have shown the potential of artificial intelligence.
Altman has been the lead steward of OpenAI, though his approach and decisions have received criticism, including questions about the direction and the deal with Microsoft. He also acknowledges his concern about the risks of AI, especially in regards to election rigging and the spread of false content..
However, he is also optimistic about the long-term positive impact of AI in the generation of new jobs and improvements in the labor market. Following his introduction to Congress, we’ll likely start hearing the name Sam Altman a lot from now on.