Emails between Sam Altman and Elon Musk kicked off OpenAI's quest to build an AI that could take over the world

The article discusses the origins of OpenAI, a leading artificial intelligence research company, and its ambitious goal of developing an AI system that could potentially surpass human intelligence. It reveals that the initial idea for OpenAI stemmed from a series of email exchanges between Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, and Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. Musk expressed concerns about the potential risks of advanced AI systems and the need for responsible development. Altman shared Musk’s concerns and proposed the creation of a non-profit AI research company to ensure that AI technology is developed safely and for the benefit of humanity. The article highlights OpenAI’s efforts to build an AI system that could potentially become an “artificial general intelligence” (AGI), capable of outperforming humans in virtually all tasks. However, it also acknowledges the significant challenges and uncertainties surrounding the development of such a powerful AI system.

Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/emails-between-sam-altman-elon-musk-kicked-off-openai-2024-11