Sam Altman at TED 2025: Key Insights on the Role of AI in the Advancement of Science

New OpenAI models, including image and video generation, are becoming increasingly intelligent and creative, opening up new horizons for the use of AI. Sam Altman believes that artificial intelligence is not just a tool, but a powerful assistant that enhances human capabilities rather than replacing them. This vision significantly influences the approach to technology development and its implementation in various fields.

Altman emphasizes the need to create new economic models for creative industries that take into account mutual inspiration and collaboration. Despite the complexities related to copyright and the use of others' work without consent, he is convinced that technology should help people create better work while respecting their rights. An example of this is the ability for artists to consent to the use of their style in AI models and receive financial compensation for it.

This approach leads to the question of open source models. Although OpenAI was late to join the process of developing open solutions, the company is currently striving to create a powerful open system that meets modern requirements. Altman is confident that open source will continue to play a key role in the development of AI, despite the risks associated with its application.

Talking about the growth of ChatGPT, Altman shares impressive results: the app reached 500 million active weekly users, and growth continues. Despite the colossal load on teams, such figures can be called "crazy," and no other company has faced anything like this. These data confirm the rapid development of AI and highlight the importance of further product improvement.

Nevertheless, despite technological progress, Altman emphasizes the deeper meaning of the future of AI. He explains that OpenAI's goal is not just to create smart models, but to develop products that improve people's daily lives. This approach will help integrate AI into society, making it a natural part of everyday life.

One such step is the new memory feature in ChatGPT, which allows the model to remember all requests received from the user and become more adapted to their preferences with each interaction. Altman is confident that this personalization will make the product even more useful, and its integration into everyday life even deeper.

An even more exciting prospect is AI as a personal companion to humans. With the development of ChatGPT and other models, artificial intelligence will be able to help people with everyday tasks, track their actions, and offer assistance. This scenario resembles the movie "Her," where AI becomes not only an assistant but also an important part of a person's personal life.

Sam Altman looks optimistically to the future and believes that AI will help make scientific discoveries faster. New models can improve research—for example, in treating diseases or creating new materials, such as room-temperature superconductors. This could seriously impact the development of humanity.

Alongside the development of AI, it is important to note how these technologies are changing the software creation process. At the moment, artificial intelligence has improved this process, and its influence will only grow in the future. In the near future, we should expect a new stage in the development of agentic software systems, which will become even more efficient.

Altman also openly discusses the risks associated with the development of AI. Questions of safety and potential misuse of technology, including threats of bioterrorism and cyberattacks, remain highly relevant. He emphasizes that OpenAI takes these threats seriously and is constantly working on improving security systems. It is important to prevent risks at the earliest stages of development.

When it comes to creating AI with the ability for self-improvement, Altman warns of potential threats and states that OpenAI is actively working to prevent such scenarios. This underscores the importance of safety at all stages of development.

Until AI reaches the level of artificial general intelligence, AGI, agentic systems capable of full learning and adaptation have not yet been realized. However, Altman is confident that we are on the verge of exponential growth in technology, and AI systems will become increasingly powerful. Instead of focusing on the date of AGI's appearance, he suggests thinking now about how to make these systems safe and beneficial for society.

It is also necessary to consider the ethical issues arising in the process of AI development. It is important for society to develop trust in such systems based on safety and ethical principles. Altman asserts that time and practice will help create the necessary safety frameworks for responsible handling of AI.

In conclusion, Altman shares personal reflections on the future of technology and his son. He is confident that children of the future will live in a world where technology develops in sync with the growth of intelligence. Products and services will become extremely smart, and the world will be filled with material abundance and rapid change. He hopes that his children will remember the parent generation with nostalgia, realizing how limited their capabilities were compared to what will become available to future generations.

The full episode can be watched at this link.