Mistral AI CEO Arthur Mensch threw shade at rival OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, saying that the pursuit of artificial general intelligence (AGI), is just an attempt at “creating God.”
What Happened: Mensch, who is the co-founder and CEO of the Paris-based AI company, Mistral, recently spoke out against the fervor surrounding AGI. He expressed his discomfort with the “religious fascination” that Silicon Valley has with AGI.
“The whole AGI rhetoric is about creating God,” Mensch said in an interview with The New York Times. “I don’t believe in God. I’m a strong atheist. So, I don’t believe in AGI.”
He also pointed out the concerns raised by other tech leaders, such as Elon Musk and Altman, about the potential negative consequences of AGI surpassing human intelligence.
Meanwhile, Anthony Levandowski, a prominent figure in the tech industry, has taken this concept even further. Levandowski, who was pardoned by former President Donald Trump for stealing trade secrets, has revived his AI church, “Way of the Future,” with a new focus on creating a “spiritual connection” with AI.
Mensch, however, believes that the more immediate threat is the control that tech giants like Microsoft Corp. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google could exert over the AI industry. He has voiced concerns about the potential clash between global AI standards and the cultural values of different nations.
Why It Matters: The pursuit of AGI has been a hot topic in the tech industry, with leaders like Musk and Altman predicting it to be the most significant event in human history.
However, there are also concerns about the potential dangers of AGI, with Altman warning about “subtle misalignments” that could make AI dangerous.
Meanwhile, Musk has sued Altman and OpenAI for allegedly betraying the founding principles of the AI startup by refining AGI to maximize profits for Microsoft.
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