Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI Co-founder – AI is Going to be Unpredictable and Unimaginable

Ilya Sutskever, who is the OpenAI co-founder has warned that AI is going to be quite unpredictable & unimaginable. He says that this presents both an opportunity and could be uncontrollable force for human understanding.

OpenAI co-founder, Ilya Sutskever sees artificial intelligence (AI) that can be astonishingly unpredictable & unimaginable. He feels AI can be as both an opportunity and a power that could prove uncontrollable for human understanding.

In one way, he may be right. Though AI still has some imperfections that will be rectified in the future, he feels that it is the start of a journey that has the ability to reach massive heights. During a video interview with The Open University of Israel, he felt the evolution of AI systems can be the spark that mankind has been waiting for.

When AI begins to its own capabilities, the pace of progress can reach beyond human understanding. He said that “AI is going to be both extremely unpredictable and unimaginable,” he warned, capturing the urgency of the moment.

Sutskever did acknowledge the potential hazards that are presnt in advanced AI. But, he is sure that AI has what it taks to revolutionize the world. “If AI becomes sufficiently capable, we could witness a healthcare revolution.” 

Sutskever received an honorary degree from The Open University. He shared his thoughts on his journey, and how he was intrigued into AI. He was captivated during his school days itself, where he learned the advanced concepts through books and understanding AI complexities.

When he shifted to Toronto, he decided to bypass high school and jump into studies at the University of Toronto. This is when he met Geoffrey Hinton, who is considered as the God father of AI. 

“That was the place to be,” he recalls. His hunger for knowledge led him to co-develop AlexNet, a neural network for AI. The success caught the eye of major tech companies. This was when Google decided purchase his startup.

He then co-founded OpenAI to create something impactful for the society. He believes AI is on the right path, and there is immense possibilities that can needs to be fully unlocked. He illustrated this by saying, “We possess a brain, a biological computer, so why shouldn’t a digital computer, a digital brain, achieve similar feats?” 

When asked about the timeline for such advancements, he estimated that a breakthrough into true superintelligence could materialize in as little as “three, five, maybe ten years.” However, their is uncertainty. 

He underscored the inevitability of this future: “Whether you like it or not, AI will profoundly influence your life.” Sutskever also shared heartfelt advice with the graduating class, urging them to concentrate on the present rather than getting bogged down by past missteps. 

“It’s all too easy to dwell on a poor decision or a twist of fate,” he reflected. “It’s far more productive to acknowledge reality and ask yourself, ‘What’s the next best step?’” His words carry added weight considering his own involvement in the surprising dismissal of former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in late 2023. 

Sutskever was part of the board that removed Altman but soon expressed deep regret and pressed for his reinstatement. Altman returned within days, and Sutskever departed the company six months later to establish a new AI lab dedicated to crafting “safe superintelligence.”

Returning to his academic roots, Sutskever impressed upon the graduates the extraordinary nature of the AI era we inhabit. “We are living in the most remarkable time ever,” he proclaimed. “And the reason it’s true this time is because of AI.”