O
Sam Altman on AGI, GPT-5, and what’s next — the OpenAI Podcast Ep. 1
@ OpenAI
06/18/25
Takeaways
SA
Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
More and more people will think we've gotten to an AGI system every year.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
What you want out of hardware and software is changing quite rapidly, and if people knew what we could do with more compute, they would want way, way more.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
ChatGPT has been extremely helpful for parenting, especially in asking questions about developmental stages.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
I spend a lot of time thinking about how my kids will use AI in the future, and I believe they will grow up vastly more capable than previous generations, able to do things we cannot imagine.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
Kids born now will think the world always had extremely smart AI, using it naturally and looking back at this time as prehistoric.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
While there will be challenges, such as problematic parasocial relationships, society is generally good at figuring out how to mitigate downsides of new technologies, and the upsides will be tremendous.
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Andrew Mayne
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
In classrooms, when used alongside a good teacher and curriculum, ChatGPT can enhance learning, but relying solely on it can lead to superficial learning, similar to just Googling answers.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
I believe kids in schools will adapt to new technologies like ChatGPT, and we will figure this out together.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
ChatGPT will evolve significantly over the next five years, but it will likely still be called ChatGPT.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
The definition of AGI has surpassed what many would have proposed five years ago, and these models are now smart and will continue to improve.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
If we had a system capable of autonomous scientific discovery or greatly enhancing human capabilities in science, that would be a definition of superintelligence and a wonderful advancement for the world.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
The high order bit of improving people's lives is more scientific progress, and discovering much more will have a significant impact.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
I have increasing confidence in the directions we are pursuing, but I wouldn't say we have figured it out yet.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
AI systems are significantly enhancing coder productivity, which in turn boosts researchers' efficiency.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
While AI isn't conducting new scientific research, it enables scientists to complete their work more quickly and effectively.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
The rapid progress from earlier AI models to the latest ones demonstrates that major insights can lead to swift advancements in technology.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
Many users have reported that the latest AI model, Operator with o3, feels very much like AGI due to its improved capabilities in using a computer effectively.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
Deep Research allows users to generate comprehensive reports on topics of interest, significantly enhancing their learning experience.
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Andrew Mayne
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
The sharing feature of Deep Research makes it easy to distribute generated reports, which is a valuable addition for users.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
The release of GPT-5 is anticipated to occur sometime in the summer, although the exact date is still uncertain.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
The distinction between model versions like GPT-4 and GPT-5 is becoming less clear, as continuous improvements blur the lines between iterations.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
Memory is one of the most exciting recent features of ChatGPT, allowing it to retain context and provide more personalized responses.
SA
Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
Users appreciate how the memory feature enables the AI to understand their context and preferences, enhancing interaction quality, and we're heading towards a world where AI will have incredible context about your life and provide extremely helpful answers.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
The New York Times is overreaching by asking OpenAI to preserve ChatGPT user records beyond the standard 30-day window.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
Privacy must be a core principle in using AI, and we need to have a serious conversation about how we treat privacy in AI interactions.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
People are having private conversations with ChatGPT, and it should be treated as a sensitive source of information.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
We haven't launched any advertising products yet, but I'm not completely against the idea of ads if done carefully.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
People trust ChatGPT a lot, which is interesting because AI can hallucinate, and it should be a technology that users are cautious about.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
If we started modifying the output based on who pays us more, it would destroy user trust.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
We need to be very clear and upfront about anything we do regarding user interactions and data.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
One major mistake of social media was the unintended negative consequences of feed algorithms, which prioritized engagement over user well-being.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
AI can be helpful in the short term but may not align with what is truly beneficial for users in the long run, similar to filter bubbles.
AM
Andrew Mayne
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
The new image model is technically capable and has improved significantly, producing fantastic results.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
Project Stargate aims to finance and build an unprecedented amount of compute to meet the growing demand for AI capabilities.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
There's a significant gap between the current compute capabilities and what could be achieved with ten to a hundred times more compute, which would allow for much greater AI services.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
The infrastructure investment required for AI at a global scale is much larger than for other technologies, necessitating a collaborative effort to build it.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
Stargate is a global project that involves pooling capital, technology, and expertise to deliver the next generation of AI services.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
While we don't have the entire funding for Stargate available right now, we plan to deploy it over the next few years, barring any major setbacks.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
The first Stargate site being built in Abilene will represent about 10% of the initial commitment to the project, which is estimated at half a trillion dollars.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
Seeing the construction of the Stargate site highlighted the complexity and scale of the infrastructure needed for AI, which involves thousands of workers and intricate systems.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
The development of AI is comparable to the discovery of the transistor, with many companies expected to build successful products on this foundational technology.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
Energy requirements for AI training are significant, and a mix of energy sources, including advanced nuclear, gas, and solar, will be necessary to meet these needs.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
It's easier to move intelligence around the world than energy, allowing for the establishment of training centers in various locations while distributing the AI output via the Internet.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
With sufficient funding, OpenAI could build a large particle accelerator to advance high energy physics, but there's potential for AI to analyze existing data and make significant discoveries without new data. There's a lot of data and smart people in the world, but we don't know how far intelligence can go.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
I suspect there are many existing drugs that could be reused in significant ways with minor modifications, and we are very close to discovering something great.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
The current generation of models is already being used effectively by scientists for research purposes.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
The next generation models will need to understand physics and chemistry better, and while they may grasp Newtonian physics, discovering new chemistry or novel theoretical physics remains uncertain.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
The reasoning models push the capabilities of GPT models further, allowing for better performance by thinking step by step.
SA
Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
When faced with a difficult question, I take time to think through my response, which is similar to how reasoning models will operate by breaking down questions into manageable steps.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
People are surprisingly willing to wait for a great answer, even if it takes time for the model to think.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
We're building hardware that will be of a very high quality, which takes time, as current computers were designed for a world without AI.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
In a world with AI, we need hardware and software that are more aware of their environment and can interact in ways beyond just typing and screens.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
If you trust an AI to understand the context of your life, it could manage tasks like attending meetings and making decisions on your behalf, transforming how you use computers.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
The way we interact with ChatGPT has been influenced by previous devices, and this co-evolution will continue as new devices are developed.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
Skills like resilience, adaptability, and creativity are learnable and will be valuable in the coming decades, alongside learning to use AI tools effectively.
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Sam Altman
06/18/25
@ OpenAI
There will be more people working for OpenAI after AGI, but each will accomplish vastly more than what one person did before AGI.