Emmett Shear, the former CEO of Twitch, has been appointed as the interim CEO of OpenAI following the sudden departure of Sam Altman. OpenAI, the company behind the popular AI chatbot ChatGPT, has made this leadership change amidst growing concerns about artificial intelligence.
During a recent appearance on The Logan Bartlett Show podcast, Shear expressed his worries about the power of AI. He acknowledged that while the benefits of AI usually outweigh the drawbacks, every technology can be misused. Shear believes that as AI continues to advance, it will be capable of solving complex problems and even designing artificial intelligence itself. However, he also warned that this progress brings the risk of AI overpowering human civilization, with estimated chances of such an event happening ranging from 2-50%.
Shear emphasized that although AI currently requires human intervention for improvement, there will come a time when it can autonomously and rapidly enhance itself. These advancements in AI pose a significant threat because “intelligence is power.” In fact, Shear compared it to a universe-destroying bomb, stating that it is a more severe issue than global warming.
With the recent leadership changes at OpenAI, including the appointment of Shear as interim CEO, the company’s future direction is highly anticipated. Meanwhile, Altman, the former CEO, will be leading a new AI research team at Microsoft, as announced by Microsoft chief Satya Nadella. Altman’s addition to Microsoft is expected to further the company’s AI aspirations.
At 40 years old, Shear stepped down as CEO of Twitch in March after serving over 16 years at the live video streaming platform. This transition to OpenAI allows him to continue his involvement in the tech industry.
The concerns expressed by Shear and other tech experts and CEOs highlight the apprehension surrounding AI’s capabilities and the potential for technology to dominate over humans. This issue is a cause for concern and calls for careful consideration of AI’s development and implementation.
