Once Upon A Time, Bill Gates Challenged ChatGPT To Pass AP Biology Exam: Here's What Happened

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates recounted an interesting anecdote about his challenge to the OpenAI Microsoft team to notify him when their language model, chatGPT, could pass the AP Biology exam. 

What Happened: During an event in San Diego, Gates had a fireside chat with Jessie Woolley-Wilson, CEO of DreamBox Learning. The iconic duo talked about various topics, including artificial intelligence or AI.  

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During the interview, Gates said that despite AI’s remarkable achievements in speech and image recognition, its ability to read and write had been lacking — until recently. 

Gates revealed a challenge he gave a challenge to Microsoft-backed MSFT OpenAI last summer. “Hey, when you can pass the AP Biology exam, bother me, but in the meantime, I’m going to work on malaria and TB and HIV because I’m not sure.” 

To his surprise, a few months later, the team returned and showed chatGPT, “blowing the questions away.” He said there were a few questions the AI-powered chatbot didn’t get right that had abstract reasoning, including mathematics. 

Gates was the first person outside OpenAI to see GPT-4. He hosted a dinner last August with OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman, co-founder Greg Brockman and others. 

Why It’s Important: Gates has previously discussed the transformative possibilities of AI and its susceptibility to errors, having previously described ChatGPT as being on par with the internet regarding its significance as a technological innovation.

While Gates continued praising chatGPT, Tesla Inc. TSLA CEO Elon Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 and is reportedly working on a chatGPT rival, TruthGPT — has been fairly vocal about sharing his concerns about rapid AI developments. Musk previously insulted Gates’ proficiency in AI too. 

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