Just five years ago, nobody knew him, but today Sam Altman is a star. If you don’t know who he is, he founded OpenAI, the company responsible for ChatGPT, the most popular artificial intelligence in the worldHis case is peculiar, because he has gone from global ignorance to fame in a very short time, encountering rivals and allies along the way who have abandoned him.
Altman has first-hand information and is aware of the history of artificial intelligence. We all know how it starts, but not how it ends. Could it turn against us? What if it becomes smarter than humans? Some similar concerns were raised with Skynet in the Terminator saga; and OpenAI CEO doesn’t like them.
The equivalent of a US President’s nuclear briefcase
If we search for photos of Sam on the internet, We will see that in more than one he carries a blue backpackIt might seem like the one used by any computer scientist, but no. In fact, the closest comparison would be the nuclear football used by the President of the United States. It is a briefcase that always accompanies Joe Biden – and at one time his predecessors such as Donald Trump or Barack Obama – so that he can launch an atomic bomb wherever he is.
Well then Sam Altman’s famous blue backpack is similar. Obviously, it doesn’t have the ability to destroy the world, but it does have the ability to prevent it. Apparently, it is concerned that what was once the science fiction of Skynet will become reality and this backpack “is a critical step to guarantee the security of AI” that minimizes all forms of risk.
According to what they say in X and media, inside it carries what appears to be a 14-inch Macbook Pro – although it has not yet been confirmed – given his preference for work, and the brand he is a fan of for years. The reliability of these devices can be a strong argument. This device is connected to an OpenAI network and presumably has the ability to destroy all the servers that host their artificial intelligence. That way, if one day the intentions of AI were evil, it could be avoided with this equipment.
A cautious man is worth thousands
There is clearly not enough evidence to prove that Samuel H. Altman is carrying a MacBook equipped with a panic button. All the information investigated is inconsistent. However, Altman has been talking for some time about “Danger of Extinction”, raising his speech on the great dangers and the loss of thousands of jobs due to unchecked and uncontrolled AI advancement. Religiously, Altman is a conservative Jew raised in St. Louis. Personally, as his many comments on the Internet can attest, his days as CEO of Reddithas always been cautious, cautious like few others.
What is certain, if we investigate a little, is that he usually appears with this backpack practically every time he travels. It would not be surprising, considering that in Business Insider They report that he believes in the apocalypse and is prepared for it. Hopefully I’ll never have to use that backpack.but we are grateful for their commitment and assumed responsibility.
However, Altman is very clear that GPT-5 will put GPT-4 to shame, that the giant leap of the new model will be enormous. And it will have to be that way if it wants to compete in a market where Claude 3.5 is already more daring in its responses and with everything that is to come, with the new Siri and the integrations in iOS 18.
An older version of this article was originally published on 11/08/2023.