Altman paints intelligence as a civilisation-altering commodity sold 'on a metre': Just like 'electricity or Wi-Fi'
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Altman paints intelligence as a civilisation-altering commodity sold 'on a metre': Just like 'electricity or Wi-Fi'")
AI will be metered like electricity in the future, Altman said. Photograph: (AFP)
Sam Altman wants to sell intelligence "on a metre", and thinks one day it could turn into a utility that people can simply tap into and pay based on the amount of usage, like electricity or water. His words have created panic because of a civilisation-level dynamic.
OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, envisions a future where people will buy intelligence "on a metre", just like any other utility, such as electricity. Speaking at BlackRock in Washington, DC, Altman said that soon, it would become something that consumers and businesses would "plug into" like Wi-Fi or running water. The statement has triggered debate over the future of AI and the people who would control it. “We see a future where intelligence is a utility, like electricity or water, and people buy it from us on a meter," Altman said. His statement and the use of the word "us" paint a scary picture where specific people would be in control of a utility that would be in huge demand. Artificial Intelligence is being pushed across industries globally, with people like Altman, Elon Musk and Jensen Huang strongly advocating for its use.
Also Read: ‘Delighted to be wrong’: Sam Altman says AI may not trigger feared white-collar job apocalypse
Experts suggest that AI will soon stop merely being a software and will turn into a utility like electricity or cloud computing. Itwill always be available, constantly run in the background and cost people based on usage. They can tap into a centralised "intelligence grid" and pay for what they use. Altman referenced the old nuclear-energy phrase “too cheap to meter" to indicate that intelligence could be abundant and accessible in the future. He said, "One of the most important things in the future is that we make intelligence, to borrow an old phrase from the energy industry that didn't quite work: 'Too cheap to meter.'"
What is the phrase "too cheap to meter"?
Notably, the phrase "too cheap to meter" was coined in 1954 by Lewis Strauss, the chairman of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. Scientists and policymakers once believed that nuclear energy would become so efficient and inexpensive to produce that there would be no need to install meters and charge people for electricity. It would essentially be "free", just like the air we breathe. However, that idea totally collapsed on its face because of the regulatory and safety regulations.
Altman's picture of a civilisation-level change
Trending Stories
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Meanwhile, Altman is facing flak for his latest statement on AI, not because of yet another push, but for putting a price on real human intelligence and comparing it to electricity. While electricity powers machines, intelligence affects human decision-making and education. Critics argue that treating cognition as a metered corporate service raises questions, such as the control of advanced reasoning being in the hands of a few corporations. This becomes even scarier since the billionaires promoting it, are painting a picture where it will change humanity on a civilisational scale. It is no longer merely a technology, but a force that could alter human lives forever.
