Sam Altman claims AGI will whoosh by in 5 years with “surprisingly little” societal change, while Anthropic CEO predicts a 2026 or 2027 breakthrough: “There’s no ceiling below the level of humans…there’s a lot of room at the top for AIs”

Sam Altman claims AGI will whoosh by in 5 years with "surprisingly little" societal change, while Anthropic CEO predicts a 2026 or 2027 breakthrough: "There's no ceiling below the level of humans...there's a lot of room at the top for AIs"

What you need to know

  • Sam Altman recently indicated that OpenAI is on track to achieve AGI within the next 5 years with current hardware. He added that the benchmark would have “surprisingly little” impact on the society.
  • Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei predicts AGI will be achieved in 2026 or 2027 based on extrapolated curves of the progression of advanced AI models.
  • A new report suggests OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic struggle to develop advanced AI models due to a lack of high-quality data and sufficient funds.

As a tech enthusiast with over two decades of industry experience, I find myself both exhilarated and apprehensive about the rapid advancements in AI we are witnessing today. The predictions by key players like Sam Altman and Dario Amodei on achieving AGI within the next 5 years are intriguing, yet it seems we’re still grappling with significant hurdles such as a lack of high-quality data and sufficient funds.


Regardless of growing apprehensions about the swift progress in the field of generative AI development, which carries a 99.9% chance of potentially posing an existential risk to humanity, companies such as OpenAI, Microsoft, Anthropic, and Google persistently pursue the rapidly expanding AI sector. It seems that the progression of AI has no definitive endpoint; instead, it appears to be an unending cycle fraught with significant hurdles.

From my perspective, it appears that key figures in the artificial intelligence sector are encountering challenges when it comes to creating and sustaining sophisticated models. This obstacle seems to stem from the scarcity of premium content for education and the substantial expenses associated with running these advanced systems. OpenAI serves as a compelling example of this predicament, as it’s currently grappling with AI buzz and financial troubles, including speculation of a potential $5 billion loss within the next year.

A $6.6 billion investment by Microsoft, NVIDIA, and others could have prevented the ChatGPT creator from collapsing financially. However, financial experts anticipate more difficulties for the AI company, with potential losses amounting to $44 billion before turning a profit in 2029. This significant loss is partially due to its large partnership with Microsoft. The analysis also hints at the possibility of Microsoft buying OpenAI within the next three years as investor enthusiasm for AI wanes and the ChatGPT maker struggles to find further funding for their advanced AI developments.

AGI seems like a stretch amidst all the adversity

Sam Altman claims AGI will whoosh by in 5 years with "surprisingly little" societal change, while Anthropic CEO predicts a 2026 or 2027 breakthrough: "There's no ceiling below the level of humans...there's a lot of room at the top for AIs"

It seems that many companies operating in the AI sector are engaged in a fierce competition to achieve supremacy, specifically in the area of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). To put it another way, these major players like Microsoft, OpenAI, and Google are releasing their AI models successively, often only weeks or months apart, as they strive to meet the coveted AGI standard. This suggests a continuous race to improve their AI models and surpass each other in capabilities.

Currently, the standard they strive for remains just beyond their reach. Artificial Intelligence companies are finding it increasingly challenging to source top-tier content necessary for developing sophisticated AI models. Furthermore, it’s important to note that such a feat requires not only massive amounts of capital (approximately “$7 trillion”) but also years of investment in building 36 semiconductor plants and additional data centers.

Previously, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, expressed little worry about the amount spent by the company on AI advancements, rather he is focused on providing robust AI tools for user utilization.

I strongly believe that equipping people with powerful tools and allowing them to decide how best to utilize them for shaping the future is an excellent approach. I find this strategy not only sensible but incredibly valuable. I am fully confident in the creativity and intelligence of everyone, including you all, to determine the right course of action. Although there may be someone more financially minded at OpenAI who might worry about our spending, I tend to disregard such concerns.

Similarly, Altman has not hesitated to discuss his vision of long-term Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). The executive has recently hinted that superintelligence could be within our reach in approximately 5 years. However, it appears that the executive may have provided a more specific timeline for the development of AGI.

In five years, I anticipate an astonishingly swift advancement in technology. It seems as if the moment of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) has already occurred, and the speed at which we’re progressing is mind-boggling. We’re constantly uncovering new insights, not just in AI research but across all scientific disciplines as well.

Contrary to the widespread assumption, Sam Altman posits that the influence of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) on society might be more subtle than expected. He likened it to something quietly passing by. Furthermore, he suggested that AGI can indeed be achieved using existing hardware technology, and if not, you’d still find joy in having a new innovative device.

A past researcher from OpenAI suggested that the company was almost at the threshold of developing Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), but cautioned that they may not be adequately prepared or geared up for all its implications. Sam Altman acknowledges that the AI evolution might trigger profound shifts in society, accelerating scientific advancements rapidly.

According to Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, it is likely that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) will be developed by 2026 or 2027. This prediction comes from projecting the current pace at which AI models are advancing, and these models are currently approaching a level of intelligence equivalent to a PhD student. However, he acknowledges that some crucial aspects are still missing in these models, but they are being gradually incorporated into the design process. A recent example of this is Anthropic’s launch of its Computer Use API.

The CEO also discussed the limitations behind AI scaling while highlighting several deterrents, including a lack of high-quality data for developing advanced AI models. He claims they’ve encountered these issues and always found a solution: going around the limitations or scaling the AI models. He concluded by indicating that human intelligence isn’t the ceiling of intelligence. “There’s a lot of room at the top for AIs to get smarter,” Amodei added.

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2024-11-14 00:40