Featured Image Credit: Stefano Guidi/Contributor / NurPhoto/Contributor / Getty
Whether you think ChatGPT is the best thing since slice bread or the worst thing since the atom bomb, it's time to accept that it's probably here to stay...for a while. As the human race only just starts to understand the potential uses and problems of artificial intelligence, ChatGPT is happily sitting atop its throne - learning from our every keystroke.
It's wild to think that ChatGPT has only been around since November 2022, but boy, what a 22 months it's been.
Developed by OpenAI, the generative AI chatbot can do everything from rewriting your CV to land you that perfect job to (potentially) predicting the future.
As we approach ChatGPT's second anniversary, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has teased that something big is on the way.
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Posting on X, Altman asked: "What shall we give it for a birthday present?"
what should we give it for a birthday present...
— Sam Altman (@sama) October 21, 2024
This has sparked speculation that Altman is teasing something new for the AI platform, although we're currently in the dark to what it could be. After all, what do you buy an omniscient chatbot?
Others on Reddit picked up on Altman's cryptic tease, throwing their own ideas into the ring about what he's planning. Alongside native image generation and jokes about giving it a body, some speculated it could be the promised Orion update that will take us beyond the current GPT-4 architecture and effectively give us GPT-5.
Some think it's too early for Orion, but in terms of update, Altman could definitely give us a peek as what's going on behind the curtain. Others are confident that a post-election era and just before the Christmas break is the perfect time to release Orion.
Whatever Altman is working on, there are some vocal critics of ChatGPT and its potential dangers, with the so-called 'godfather of AI,' Geoffrey Hinton, making his feeling clear.
Speaking at a press conference to honor him being awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, Hinton discussed some of his students and gushed: "They’ve gone on to do great things. I’m particularly proud of the fact that one of my students fired Sam Altman. And I think I better leave it there."
Hinton was referring to Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI's former Chief Scientist who fired Altman in a November 2023 coup. Even though Altman was quickly returned to his role, it seems Hinton isn't a fan.
Discussing the future with the University of Toronto, Hinton admitted: "When we get things more intelligent than ourselves, no one really knows whether we’re going to be able to control them."
Some see Altman as the next Elon Musk in terms of power, while others think it's all smoke and mirrors. AI is definitely a powerful beast, so let's hope we've got the right people holding the reins. As for ChatGPT's second birthday, we'll make sure we've baked a delicious cake.
