Can AI trigger 'end-time event'? Man behind ChatGPT fears so, called for doomsday bunker

The scale of danger that Artificial Intelligence poses can be gauged by the fact that ChatGPT's mastermind had discussed plans to construct a bunker once the latest version of AI is unleashed. According to a book, Ilya Sutskever, the co-founder of OpenAI, proposed building a doomsday bunker for the company’s top researchers. This would protect them if an end-time event, or a "rapture", is triggered by an artificial intelligence more powerful than humans.

The technology is known as artificial general intelligence (AGI) and is a thinking machine that would be much more advanced than the current AI models and surpass human cognitive abilities.

Karen Hao has carried an incident in the upcoming book “Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI.” A report in The Atlantic quoting an excerpt states that Sutskever called a meeting of OpenAI scientists in 2023 and said something that startled them all. “Once we all get into the bunker…” he quipped, taking everyone by surprise.

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One of them asked, “I’m sorry, the bunker?”

“We’re definitely going to build a bunker before we release AGI,” Sutskever told the researcher.

Apparently, he fears that AGI can trigger a war between countries, leading to chaos and violence. In such a scenario, it will become important that OpenAI’s core scientists are safeguarded. However, he added, that it would be optional for the scientists to get into the bunker or not.

Bunker for AI scientists was often mentioned

According to Hao, the bunker has often been mentioned by Sutskever during other discussions.

The statement has triggered panic about artificial general intelligence (AGI), seeing that the inventor of ChatGPT also fears that it can wreak havoc on the future of the world.

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The book quotes one OpenAI researcher as saying that "there is a group of people — Ilya being one of them — who believe that building AGI will bring about a rapture. Literally, a rapture.”

Sutskever is known for discussing AI in moral and even metaphysical terms, according to the author. He reportedly understands the dangers posed by AI, and is also promoting AI safety, according to colleagues.

Altman warned of “extinction risk” to humanity

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had also talked about an “extinction risk” to humanity from AI in a public letter. Now with the bunker talk, it seems like AI-triggered doomsday is not merely a matter of fiction.

Sutskever wanted to develop AGI for the benefit of humanity. However, he saw the company going a different route when he grew concerned that Altman was moving away from internal safety protocols, Hao was told by people in the know. This is what led to Altman's removal in 2023. Following pressure from investors, employees, and Microsoft, Altman was brought back.

Sutskever and the then-Chief Technology Officer, Mira Murati, both quit. “I don’t think Sam is the guy who should have the finger on the button for AGI,” Sutskever said, according to papers that Hao has.