Nuclear fusion will power superhuman AI, says ChatGPT boss
The next-generation of artificial intelligence will require a near-limitless source of power, according to the boss of ChatGPT creator OpenAI. In an in-depth conversation with technologist Lex Fridman, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that future AI will require vast amounts of energy as its capabilities improve and it reaches a level that surpasses human intelligence.
Nuclear Fusion as the Solution
The only power source capable of meeting this, according to Mr. Altman, is nuclear fusion, which mimics the natural reactions that occur within the Sun to produce energy. Despite several major breakthroughs in recent years, scientists warn that we are still years away from achieving fusion power on any significant scale. Mr. Altman has previously said that there is “no way to get there without a breakthrough”.
The Role of Computing Power
Mr. Altman said that he believed computing power would be the “currency of the future” and will become the most precious commodity in the world. “Energy is the hardest part,” he said. “Building data centres is also hard, the supply chain is hard, and then of course fabricating enough chips is hard. But this seems to be where things are going. We’re going to want an amount of compute that’s just hard to reason about right now.”
Investment in Nuclear Fusion
Mr. Altman said nuclear fusion was fundamental for solving the “energy puzzle” of providing the computing power to develop next-generation artificial intelligence. The OpenAI co-founder, who has a net worth of around $2 billion according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, has personally invested $375 million (£295m) in a US-based nuclear fusion firm called Helion Energy.
The Future of Nuclear Fusion
The company has set a target of producing electricity at a commercial scale using the next-generation technology by 2028. Helion Energy has also secured a purchase agreement for nuclear fusion energy from Microsoft – the world’s first such deal. “I think Helion’s doing the best work,” Mr. Altman told Mr. Fridman. “But I’m happy there’s a race for fusion right now.”
Space Discoveries and Innovation
It is one of the oldest machines known to have been developed by human hand, yet its true purpose has been lost to the mists of time. Astronauts on the International Space Station were forced to take shelter last night after a Russian satellite broke into more than 100 pieces. The nine astronauts living on the space station were told to shelter in their respective spacecraft, according to NASA, after the debris was spotted.
Conclusion
On Thursday and Saturday, two different asteroids will hurtle past Earth at close range. You can watch them both live. A new study found what makes the furry critters such masterful colonizers of countries across the world. The 7,600-foot long celestial object has earned the nickname ‘planet killer,’ flying at speeds of 58,000 miles per hour. Fossils from the skull of a Neanderthal child that likely had Down syndrome shed light into the collaborative and communal caregiving that likely helped the child survive to the age of 6.
