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\t\t\tIllustration by Tag Hartman-Simkins \/ Futurism. Source: Andrew Harnik \/ Getty Images\n\t<\/p>\n
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says that an era when entire companies are run by AI models is nearly upon us. And if he has it his way, it\u2019ll be OpenAI leading the charge, even if it means losing his job.<\/p>\n
\u201cShame on me if OpenAI isn\u2019t the first big company run by an AI CEO,\u201d Altman said on an episode<\/a> of the \u201cConversations with Tyler\u201d podcast recorded last month and released Wednesday.<\/p>\n Asked how long it will be until a large division at the company is 85 percent run by AI or more, Altman offered a bold prediction.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSome small single digit number of years \u2014 not very far,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n But when the host predicts there will be billion dollar companies \u201crun by two or three people with AIs\u201d in two and a half years, Altman seems to move up the timeline.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the AI can do it sooner than that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n It\u2019s another classic big boast from Altman, who rarely shies away from sweeping pronouncements about the AI industry and how it will shape the world \u2014 both good and bad. He has frequently<\/a> teased<\/a> that OpenAI is on the verge<\/a> of achieving artificial general intelligence, or AGI, a hypothetical AI system that surpasses human intelligence in virtually all aspects. He has written an entire manifesto<\/a> detailing how AI will usher in a utopic future of \u201cmassive prosperity\u201d for all.<\/p>\n His doomsaying is equally prolific: Altman also warns that AI will destroy entire categories of jobs, could cause a \u201cfraud crisis<\/a>,\u201d implode the economy<\/a>, or even end the world<\/a>, if we\u2019re not careful.<\/p>\n By Altman\u2019s standards, predicting AI-run companies are right around the corner is pretty tame.\u00a0One thing he sounds most certain about is AI far surpassing the performance of human CEOs, himself included. This \u201cclearly will happen someday,\u201d Altman said.<\/p>\n He isn\u2019t entirely self-effacing, however. Altman concedes the host\u2019s point that the public-facing role of the CEO is pretty important, which is undoubtedly true for OpenAI. In no small part thanks to Altman\u2019s grand promises, it\u2019s capitalized on its hype to garner hundreds of billions of dollars in valuation even as it continues to lose billions of dollars every quarter<\/a>. Perhaps Altman could stay the public face, he imagined out loud, while an AI makes all the big decisions.<\/p>\n AI-controlled companies, in sum, are a foregone conclusion in Altman\u2019s eyes. The main roadblock in the way of this future happening is people\u2019s reluctance to trust in AI systems over humans, he said, \u201ceven if they shouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt may take much longer for society to get really comfortable with this,\u201d he added, \u201cbut on the actual decision-making for most things, maybe AI is pretty good pretty soon.\u201d<\/p>\n Perhaps it\u2019s not as far-fetched as it sounds. It\u2019s not as if human CEOs<\/a> have a stellar track record of being universally competent operators<\/a>. And what better way to justify carrying out harsh and unpopular changes at a company than by saying it was decided by an impartial AI model? Guess we\u2019ll have to wait \u201csome small single digit number of years\u201d to find out.<\/p>\n