It depends. Is it just a PR stunt, or does Altman actually believe it? If he genuinely believes it, saying so may be unwise, may expose him to be deluded, but is not just PR (except maybe bad PR).
I think Dario Amodei, for all of his intelligence, believes the hype and is experiencing full-on AI delusions. His recent interviews and writings have taken on a distinctly religious tone (as have other tech leaders like Peter Thiel), which is a hallmark of delusional thinking. In his head, he is the creator of a sort of techno-deity, allowing him to think of himself as not only a man of consequence, but the greatest man of consequence to have ever lived.
On Altman, he's the opposite. I think he realizes that much of the tech world is engaged in delusional thinking and he's squeezing it for everything its worth. The injection of the word "like" in the middle of his statement ("We are now, like, in the singularity") betrays the fact that he doesn't believe a word of this. Even he has trouble saying it out loud.
On Altman, he's the opposite. I think he realizes that much of the tech world is engaged in delusional thinking and he's squeezing it for everything its worth. The injection of the word "like" in the middle of his statement ("We are now, like, in the singularity") betrays the fact that he doesn't believe a word of this. Even he has trouble saying it out loud.