OpenAI Touts 'PhD Level' Intelligence For ChatGPT, Doctors Joke It's 'Not Taking Anyone's Job'

OpenAI Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati spoke at Dartmouth College on June 19 and discussed the ongoing development of the organization’s flagship artificial intelligence (AI) product, GPT.

“These systems are already human-level in specific tasks, and of course in a lot of tasks, they’re not. If you look at the trajectory of improvement, systems like GPT-3, we’re maybe, say, toddler-level intelligence,” Murati said. “And then systems like GPT-4 are more like smart high schooler intelligence. And then in the next couple of years, we’re looking at PhD-level intelligence for specific tasks.”

Murati predicts that, within a year to 18 months, GPT will become smarter than the average user.

Social Media Reactions: The comments drew self-deprecating jokes on social media, often at the expense of academic doctorates.

“Cool so it's not taking anyone's job,” commented one PhD on X.

“Is this suppose to make me bullish or bearish on AI?” another user said.

“Really looking forward to GPT-5 breaking down and crying after I ask it if it will wrap up its work before its funding runs out,” a paleontology PhD student said.

AI’s effect on jobs has emerged as an urgent topic. In a recent episode of his podcast, Unconfuse Me, Bill Gates discussed the implications of AI with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. 

While Altman states that AI is intended to assist employees and streamline tasks, the current impact of AI on white-collar jobs is already evident. 

Recent studies show that 37% of companies have replaced staff with AI technology, and 44% predict AI will lead to layoffs this year. 

Now Read: OpenAI’s ChatGPT App For Mac Is Worth The Wait, But You Can Skip The Line: Here’s How I Got It Working

Image: Midjourney