Ah, the temerity of AI titans! OpenAI founder Sam Altman has caused a bit of an uproar earlier this week after declaring India’s attempts to develop an artificial intelligence tool like ChatGPT as “hopeless”. This little tidbit emerged during an interaction with venture capitalist and former Google India head Rajan Anandan, who had the audacity to inquire how Indian startups could pursue the development of models similar to those whipped up by OpenAI.
In a striking display of Silicon Valley confidence, Altman graciously enlightened Anandan: “We will explicitly tell you that it’s completely hopeless to challenge us in training foundational models, and you shouldn’t even attempt it. However, it is your responsibility to still make the attempt, and I genuinely hold both of these perspectives. I genuinely believe that the chances of success are quite slim.”
Naturally, this response ignited a range of emotions, from seething outrage to a spirited acceptance of the “challenge”by Tech Mahindra CEO CP Gurnani. But wait, there’s more! Altman, sensing the mounting disapproval, took to social media to clarify that his remarks were taken out of context and misconstrued.
In a tweet as smooth as his original comment, he elucidated: The question was about competing with us with $10 million, which I really do think is not going to work. But I still said try! However, I think it’s the wrong question. The right question is what a startup can do that’s never been done before, that will contribute a new thing to the world. I have no doubt Indian startups can and will do that! And no one but the builders can answer that question.”
So, there you have it, folks. It’s not that he doesn’t believe in Indian startups; it’s just that they need to think outside the box and not compete directly with the AI juggernaut that is OpenAI. After all, it’s not every day that a Silicon Valley luminary graces us with such nuanced advice.
But hey, who am I to question the wisdom of AI royalty? Let the games begin, and may the best AI win. Or, you know, at least attempt to.
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