PDF Summary:Supremacy, by Parmy Olson

Supremacy by Parmy Olson delves into the contrasting approaches and objectives of OpenAI and DeepMind, two pioneering organizations devoted to the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI). The book explores the motivations and ideologies that shaped the strategies of these entities, driven by individuals like Sam Altman and Demis Hassabis.

Olson provides insights into the technological advancements achieved by OpenAI and DeepMind, the challenges they faced, and the ethical considerations that arose as powerful tech companies gained control over AGI development. The narrative highlights the complexities of responsibly overseeing artificial intelligence and the potential societal consequences of this rapidly evolving technology.

(continued)...

• Companies may perceive AI as a critical component for maintaining a competitive edge, especially if they believe others are investing heavily due to the discourse.
• AI is being used in military and security contexts, such as drone technology and cybersecurity, highlighting its strategic importance and potential risks.
• The debate often includes discussions about the ethical responsibilities of AI developers and the need for transparency, accountability, and fairness in AI systems.

Establishing guidelines and criteria for the progression of state-of-the-art intelligence technology is challenging in a domain dominated by leading technology companies.

The alarms signaling an approaching disaster became more pronounced, eclipsing the urgent and essential problems rooted in artificial intelligence. Leading the advancement of AI technology, with Google and Microsoft at the forefront, are numerous influential technology firms, progressing in an environment devoid of formal regulation.

The unsuccessful attempts by technology companies to create self-regulatory frameworks through the establishment of internal ethics committees and advisory groups.

The leaders of OpenAI and DeepMind have grappled with the task of responsibly overseeing artificial intelligence, which includes Hassabis' failed effort to create an independent body focused on ethics and safety to safeguard DeepMind's AI developments from Google's complete control. Google came to understand that DeepMind's worth greatly exceeded the initial $650 million investment, making the prospect of detaching the AI enterprise from its parent company a complex endeavor. Google also rejected the ideas behind other AI advisory boards and instead chose to give its own executives control of DeepMind’s ethics and strategy.

Other Perspectives

• The scope of these committees' oversight is sometimes too narrow, focusing on immediate ethical concerns without considering the broader societal implications of AI technology.
• The decision to not have an independent ethics body could be based on practical considerations, such as the need for swift decision-making in competitive tech landscapes, which might be hindered by additional layers of bureaucracy.
• The value of DeepMind might have been a factor, but it doesn't preclude the possibility of establishing an independent ethics committee; other large corporations have managed to create independent oversight for valuable divisions.
• Having company executives control ethics and strategy could lead to conflicts of interest, where business goals overshadow ethical considerations.

The widening gap is becoming more noticeable between academic circles concentrating on AI safety and the commercial entities driving forward with the advancement of artificial general intelligence.

The rapid growth of artificial intelligence is outpacing the ability of governments to understand its implications and create appropriate regulatory frameworks, leading to a scenario where its direction is largely determined by corporations motivated by profit. Tech giants consistently strengthen their dominance in the artificial intelligence sector by acquiring rival companies, attracting the most prominent experts in the field, and leveraging their unparalleled data and processing power to sustain their advantage in advancing artificial intelligence. OpenAI and DeepMind intensified their efforts to match the substantial investments in AI model development made by major companies like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta. The growing risks of bias and inequality in AI had not been given sufficient attention, while the primary goals of benefiting humanity were neglected.

Context

• Academic research is typically published in peer-reviewed journals and is subject to public scrutiny, promoting transparency. In contrast, commercial research may be kept confidential to protect intellectual property, reducing transparency.
• Many governments lack the resources, both in terms of funding and expertise, to effectively monitor and regulate AI technologies, especially when competing with well-funded private sector entities.
• By attracting top talent with lucrative salaries and resources, corporations can drive innovation in directions that align with their business goals, potentially sidelining research that might focus on ethical or safety concerns.
• AI model development involves creating algorithms that can learn from and make predictions based on data. This process requires significant computational resources and expertise in machine learning, data science, and neural networks.
• The datasets used to train AI models often lack diversity, which can result in models that do not perform well across different demographic groups, leading to unequal outcomes.
• The energy consumption of large AI models is significant, raising concerns about their environmental impact and the importance of developing sustainable AI technologies.

The early life experiences, innate characteristics, and foundational professional choices of key figures at OpenAI and DeepMind shaped their approach to crafting strategies for the creation of sophisticated AI with wide-ranging capabilities.

In this section of Olson's book, the author explores the unique backgrounds and pivotal experiences that shaped the lives of Sam Altman and Demis Hassabis, underscoring the importance of understanding their individual journeys to truly grasp the evolution of their respective quests to develop artificial general intelligence.

Sam Altman's formative years, marked by his remarkable aptitude and insight in the realm of technology, influenced his perspective on OpenAI.

Olson depicts Altman as an individual whose early life was marked by an intense ambition to create organizations and groups dedicated to aiding people, which ultimately led him to assume leadership positions to effect transformation. She illustrates how Altman's commitment to the well-being of people plays a pivotal role in comprehending his apprehensions about the dangers AI might present, leading him to create an independent organization focused on supervising artificial general intelligence to guarantee it benefits human society.

Altman's dedication to improving society via technology was shaped by his early advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights.

Growing up in the predominantly conventional setting of St. Louis, Missouri, in the late 1990s, Altman became an advocate for LGBTQ rights during his teenage years. At his elite private school, he excelled in subjects like mathematics and literature, was a prominent figure in different social groups, and also captained the institution's water polo team. He was also aware of his uniqueness. After discovering a supportive network among the LGBTQ community on America Online, he committed to creating comparable bonds for his fellow students at school. Altman founded the first support network for LGBTQ students at the high school and organized the first event to champion the rights of gay individuals, while also interacting with students who were against his objectives. Altman's belief in the potential of technology to significantly contribute to the improvement of society was shaped by his early involvement in advocacy and influenced by his father's career in law and dedication to social justice.

Practical Tips

• Offer to be an ally by wearing a symbol of support, like a rainbow pin or sticker, to signal to LGBTQ students that you're a safe person to talk to. This simple gesture can make a significant difference in the lives of students who feel isolated or are seeking allies within their community.
• Start a virtual book club focused on LGBTQ+ authors and stories to raise awareness and empathy within your social circle. By selecting books and facilitating discussions, you're creating a space for learning and understanding, which can lead to more informed support for gay rights.

Other Perspectives

• There is a risk that technology could be used to reinforce the status quo or empower those who seek to manipulate or control society, rather than improve it for the collective good.
• It is possible that Altman's interest in technology developed independently of his advocacy work, with both interests growing in parallel due to his overall passion for innovation and social progress.
• The development of a belief in technology's potential could also have been influenced by the broader societal and technological advancements of the time, rather than solely by familial influence.

Sam Altman approaches the management of advanced artificial intelligence systems' risks with a calm and carefully planned strategy.

While studying at Stanford University, Altman was motivated by the desire to create an app that would enhance face-to-face interactions among people, which led to his immersion in the tech community of Silicon Valley. Under the guidance of Paul Graham, he joined the esteemed Y Combinator program and developed Loopt, an app that shows the whereabouts of friends on a digital map. Loopt failed, after struggling to raise interest from mobile phone companies, but the experience left Altman with two critical lessons. The first focused on comprehending what drives human wants and becoming adept at convincing individuals to embrace novel experiences, while the second emphasized the significance of remaining detached emotionally. Altman frequently experienced that stress and anxiety influenced his ability to make decisions as an entrepreneur. He incorporated practices of mindfulness and promoted a strategy that preserved a more substantial emotional detachment when dealing with the hazards associated with forthcoming progress in the field of machine intelligence.

Practical Tips

• Organize a small, informal gathering with friends or neighbors where the main activity is a group discussion on a topic everyone is interested in. This encourages direct communication and can strengthen community bonds while providing a platform for everyone to share their thoughts and experiences in person.
• Create a peer accountability group with friends or colleagues who share similar professional goals. Meet regularly to discuss progress, challenges, and strategies for success. This mirrors the collaborative environment of an accelerator program and can provide motivation and diverse perspectives.
• Start a virtual book club where members update their current reading spots on a shared digital map. This can be done using a simple custom Google Map where each member drops a pin with a brief note about what they're reading. It's a way to visualize the community's reading habits and foster a sense of connection and shared interests.
• Conduct informal surveys with your target audience using social media polls or Google Forms to gather data on consumer interest. Present this data to potential partners to demonstrate that there is a market for your product or service, making your proposal more persuasive.
• You can enhance your understanding of human desires by starting a 'needs and wants' journal. Every day, jot down observations of what people around you express a desire for, whether it's a product, a service, or an emotional need. This practice will sharpen your ability to identify and understand the underlying wants that drive behavior, which is crucial when introducing new experiences to others.
• Develop a personal "stress scorecard" to rate your stress levels at various points throughout the day and note how it affects your work. Use a simple scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is completely relaxed and 10 is extremely stressed. By tracking this over time, you can pinpoint which activities or times of day are most stressful and take proactive steps to introduce stress-reduction techniques before engaging in those activities.
• Use mealtime as an opportunity for mindfulness practice by eating one meal a day in silence. Focus on the textures, flavors, and smells of your food, chewing slowly and setting down your utensils between bites. This can enhance your sensory experience and encourage a mindful relationship with food.
• Develop a habit of writing reflective journals after reading tech news or articles. Focus on your emotional responses to advancements in machine intelligence and question why you feel that way. This exercise aims to increase self-awareness and manage emotions related to technological risks.

Demis Hassabis' roots as a chess prodigy and game designer, and how this led him to pursue AGI through simulations and scientific discovery.

From a young age, the remarkable abilities of Hassabis were shaped by his profound interest in computing and gaming, which, combined with his chess expertise, competitive spirit, systematic approach to understanding the world, and spiritual beliefs that valued the imitation of divine creativity, influenced his outlook on existence.

Hassabis' fascination was driven by the potential to unravel the universe's enigmatic secrets.

By the age of ten, Hassabis had already made a name for himself in the chess community, effortlessly overcoming experienced competitors and rising to become one of the world's most talented young chess aficionados. He regarded chess as the ultimate mental workout, enhancing his ability to anticipate the tactics of his opponents well in advance. During his high school years, Hassabis's interest in the limitless possibilities of AI grew when he came across the scientific endeavor to create a unified model that would merge the essential forces of the cosmos, often referred to as the "theory of everything." He found himself deeply intrigued by the idea that God and the universe are one and the same, an idea originally proposed in the 17th century by philosopher Baruch Spinoza, which he aimed to investigate by employing artificial intelligence. Hassabis often responds to questions about his spiritual beliefs with ambiguity, but his intense commitment to leveraging artificial intelligence for pioneering breakthroughs reveals his quest for understanding that goes beyond simple answers to scientific puzzles.

Practical Tips

• Implement a 'think three moves ahead' approach to your daily decisions, where you consider the immediate, mid-term, and long-term consequences of your choices.
• Volunteer to teach the basics of chess at a local community center or school. Teaching others can reinforce your own understanding of chess strategies and tactics, and it also provides the mental stimulation of adapting your knowledge to different learning styles.
• Engage with AI-powered services and devices in your daily life, such as virtual assistants, smart home devices, or recommendation systems, and reflect on their impact and functionality to develop a practical appreciation for AI applications.
• Create a digital art piece that represents your interpretation of the universe's unity using free online graphic design tools. Artistic expression allows you to process and manifest abstract concepts in a tangible form. Use colors, shapes, and patterns to depict how you visualize the unity between God and the universe. Share your artwork on social media or digital galleries to engage with others on this theme.
• You can explore your own beliefs by journaling with ambiguous prompts to understand the complexity of your spirituality. Start a journal where you respond to open-ended questions like "What does spirituality mean to me?" or "How do I feel about the unknown?" The ambiguity in these prompts allows you to explore your beliefs without the pressure of reaching a definitive answer, mirroring the approach of responding ambiguously.

The structure of DeepMind was influenced by an academic and hierarchical culture established by Hassabis.

Hassabis sharpened his abilities through the systematic resolution of increasingly intricate problems in mathematics and computer science, which paralleled his approach to chess, and his enthusiasm for gaming inspired him to develop video games designed to reflect the intricacies of real-world situations. Following the unfulfilled aspirations of Elixir Studios, Hassabis delved deeply into the workings of the brain and began his doctoral studies in the field of neuroscience at University College London. Driven by his passion for exploration and a deep interest in artificial intelligence, he established DeepMind, his second venture, which prospered by drawing in some of the most brilliant minds in the field of AI. These experts were tasked with developing advanced AI technologies aimed at surpassing the leading Go champion, forecasting protein structures, and mimicking elements of human thought processes, all within an environment that aimed to mirror the accomplishments of renowned scientific pioneers. The group at DeepMind concentrated on producing scholarly articles that earned a multitude of awards and honors.

Practical Tips

• Engage with interactive brain games and apps designed to improve cognitive functions. While playing, take notes on how the challenges make you feel and which cognitive skills they seem to target. This personal log can help you understand the practical applications of neuroscience in developing brain training tools.

Other Perspectives

• DeepMind's culture might also be influenced by its parent company, Alphabet Inc., which is known for its unique and innovative corporate culture, challenging the idea that the culture is predominantly academic and hierarchical.
• Solving complex problems is just one aspect of skill development; collaboration, mentorship, and learning from failures are also crucial components that contribute to expertise in any domain.
• Simulating real-world situations in video games often requires abstraction and the creation of models that represent reality, which can lead to oversimplification or misrepresentation of the complexities involved in real-world phenomena.
• Hassabis' background in neuroscience and cognitive science suggests that an interest in understanding human intelligence could have been as much a motivator as the passion for artificial intelligence itself.
• The focus on attracting top experts may overshadow the contributions of early-career researchers and other staff whose work is also crucial to the success of research and development in AI.
• The success in these specific areas does not necessarily mean that the AI technologies developed are generalizable or capable of handling tasks outside of these domains with the same level of proficiency.
• The emphasis on replicating the environment of scientific pioneers may not fully account for the importance of diversity in thought and background, which is crucial for the advancement of modern, interdisciplinary fields like AI.
• Prioritizing the production of award-winning scholarly articles could potentially create a culture that values recognition over innovation or meaningful progress in the field.

The business strategies employed to market their AI breakthroughs, and the technological and scientific progress achieved by the team at OpenAI.

This section of the narrative delves into the unique technological advancements pioneered in the realm of artificial intelligence by entities such as OpenAI and DeepMind, underscoring the diverse objectives they pursue through their creations and distribution. DeepMind maintained a low profile, prioritizing safety and disseminating its findings through academic papers for recognition, unlike OpenAI, which embraced a business-oriented approach, leveraging its alliance with Microsoft to swiftly introduce innovations like ChatGPT to a broad audience.

OpenAI has been at the forefront of creating advanced language models that have dramatically transformed the field of computational linguistics.

OpenAI initially made a name for itself by developing an AI that excelled in the intricate video game Dota 2, but it did not achieve the same level of fame as DeepMind's AlphaGo, renowned for its global dominance in the game of Go. In other areas of AI research, OpenAI lagged behind DeepMind. Ilya Sutskever, the company's leading researcher, shifted his attention to the creation of extensive language models, an area that DeepMind had largely disregarded as trivial due to numerous technical constraints.

OpenAI skillfully balanced secrecy with generating public interest, progressing with the introduction of its linguistic algorithm despite growing concerns about bias and safety.

OpenAI advanced considerably after Google's 2017 publication and broad distribution of the study known as "Attention Is All You Need." The manuscript established a cornerstone for academic research in the domain of artificial intelligence by introducing a technique called a transformer, which improved the ability of AI systems to process language instantaneously by leveraging sophisticated computational processors. Google was slow to deploy its new invention to its own services like Google Translate, but OpenAI immediately jumped at the opportunity, creating its own “decoder only” version of the technology that could generate text and infer context to an unprecedented level in AI research. The development resulted in a novel system commonly referred to as GPT, which stands for "transformer that underwent generative pre-training." OpenAI seized the opportunity to garner public interest by upgrading its most recent language model with a broader selection of texts sourced from the internet. OpenAI chose to delay the full release of GPT-2, citing concerns over its possible use in creating fake news stories. The release of "Better Language Models and Their Implications" intensified media attention and boosted public curiosity about the technological progress made by the artificial intelligence research group OpenAI. The company eventually released GPT-2 to the public after noticing a lack of substantial negative uses and took a similar stance with GPT-3, an enhanced version adept at crafting persuasive poems and stories as well as engaging in authentic conversations with individuals.

Practical Tips

• Improve your understanding of complex topics by summarizing articles with an AI summarization tool. Input a lengthy article and see how the AI condenses it into key points. This can be particularly useful for quickly grasping the essence of detailed reports or research papers without reading them in full.
• Improve your content consumption by curating a personalized news feed with an app that utilizes attention-based algorithms. Apps like Flipboard or Feedly can learn what content you pay most attention to and tailor your feed accordingly, allowing you to see how attention mechanisms prioritize information relevant to your interests.
• Use language translation apps to break down language barriers in your personal life. If you're planning to travel or connect with friends who speak a different language, leverage AI-powered translation apps to facilitate conversations. Observe how the app captures nuances and colloquialisms, reflecting the advancements in language processing.
• Create a habit of using fact-checking tools before sharing information on social media. Tools like Snopes, FactCheck.org, or Google's reverse image search can help you verify the authenticity of images, stories, and claims. Before you hit share, take a moment to verify the information to prevent the spread of potential misinformation.
• Create a personal blog where you document your experiences with AI tools, focusing on the positive aspects and any challenges you encounter. This will not only help you reflect on your own use of AI but also provide a resource for others interested in the practical applications of AI in everyday life.
• Engage in a conversation with an AI chatbot powered by GPT-3 to explore its understanding and responsiveness. Pose questions or topics that interest you and analyze the depth and relevance of the responses. This can help you appreciate the nuances of AI communication and its potential as a conversational partner.

OpenAI's shift toward commercialization and partnership with Microsoft to rapidly scale its AI capabilities.

Despite its initial commitment to function as a non-profit entity and to disseminate artificial general intelligence developments for the benefit of all, OpenAI encountered difficulties in obtaining adequate funding to compete with DeepMind. OpenAI formed an alliance with Microsoft in 2019 as they faced increasing costs, stemming from the use of open-source data for model training, a widespread method within the field of artificial intelligence studies. This led to the creation of GitHub Copilot in 2022, which was a product built on OpenAI’s technology that could help software developers write code. While this helped improve OpenAI’s language models, it also strengthened its ties with Microsoft, pushing the company further away from its altruistic goals.

Practical Tips

• Implement a 'smart automation challenge' within your company where employees are encouraged to identify tasks that can be automated to save time and money. Reward the best ideas with a bonus or extra vacation days. An example could be automating the process of data entry for customer feedback, which would free up staff time for more strategic work and reduce the likelihood of human error.
• Explore partnerships with tech companies for your project or startup to offset data handling costs. Reach out to companies that might benefit from your project's data or insights and propose a collaboration where they provide the computational resources or data management tools in exchange for access to your findings or a share in the project's success.
• You can enhance your coding skills by pairing with GitHub Copilot on a personal project. Start a simple coding project, like building a basic website or automating a task you do regularly. Use GitHub Copilot to suggest code snippets and observe how it tackles problems. This hands-on experience will help you understand how AI can assist in software development and improve your coding proficiency.
• Use social media to connect with AI enthusiasts and experts. Engaging in online communities can lead to opportunities for collaboration or mentorship. Platforms like LinkedIn or Twitter are great for following AI thought leaders, joining relevant groups, and participating in discussions that could lead to collaborative projects or learning opportunities.
• Volunteer for a cause you care about to stay connected with your altruistic side. This hands-on experience can serve as a reminder of your core intentions and help you recognize when professional decisions might be leading you away from these objectives.

DeepMind faced considerable challenges in adapting its pioneering advancements in AI, initially created for gaming, to practical applications in the real world, particularly in the area of protein structure prediction.

Following its acquisition, DeepMind upheld stringent confidentiality measures while advancing in the creation of artificial intelligence that excelled and surpassed performance in highly intricate domains, publicizing its achievements in academic journals for acknowledgment. While OpenAI’s research was focused on solving problems that could help bolster a company, DeepMind wanted to make discoveries, and win awards.

DeepMind worked diligently to maintain its original objectives and autonomy while navigating the complexities of reducing Google's influence.

Despite the substantial influence wielded by the biggest technology firms, DeepMind encountered growing discontent. The organization spent years working to redefine its relationship with the leading tech company, aiming for recognition as an independent entity capable of tackling global challenges without being hindered by the profit-driven goals of a major technology firm.

Practical Tips

• Create a personal mission statement to guide your autonomy in decision-making. This statement will serve as a compass for your actions, much like a company's objectives guide its operations. If your mission is to promote environmental sustainability, you might choose to work with organizations that prioritize green initiatives.
• You can analyze your own digital footprint to understand how companies may influence you online. Start by checking your email subscriptions, social media follows, and online services to see which companies have the most presence in your digital life. Then, take steps to diversify your sources of information and services to reduce the influence of any single company.
• Engage in a digital detox challenge where you limit your use of technology from big firms for a set period, such as a week, to observe any changes in your well-being or productivity. Keep a log of your activities and feelings during this period to identify any benefits or drawbacks of reducing tech influence in your life. You might discover that certain tech products are more of a habit than a necessity, leading you to make more conscious choices about their use.
• Consider creating a 'flexibility charter' for your team or organization to encourage innovation and adaptability. Gather input from all levels of your organization to understand where rigid structures may be hindering progress. Use this information to draft a charter that outlines how your organization will embrace flexibility, such as by allowing for experimental projects or by reevaluating traditional hierarchies and processes.
• Start a social media campaign to crowdsource ideas for solving a global problem. Use platforms like Twitter or Instagram to engage with a diverse audience and gather innovative solutions. For instance, if you're concerned about clean water access, you could encourage followers to share low-cost filtration techniques or water conservation tips, creating a collaborative space for problem-solving.
• Implement a "Profit-Redirection Plan" for any personal income that comes from side projects or hobbies. Decide on a percentage of the profits that you will automatically redirect to a cause you care about, such as a charity, a community project, or an environmental initiative. This way, even if your activities do generate income, you ensure that a portion of it supports values you deem important, rather than solely increasing your personal wealth.

Google's artificial intelligence efforts were more visibly enhanced with the inclusion of DeepMind when Sundar Pichai and Demis Hassabis were at the helm.

Despite Larry Page, the founder and CEO of Google, sharing Hassabis's view on the importance of AGI, DeepMind could not achieve independence from its parent company. In 2019, Sundar Pichai assumed leadership from Page, who decided to step down in pursuit of broader influence. Google turned down the suggested changes to its structure and promoted Hassabis to lead its artificial intelligence initiatives, naming him the leader of the unified division, Google DeepMind.

Practical Tips

• You can explore the potential of AGI by participating in online simulations that mimic AGI decision-making processes. These simulations often allow users to input variables and see how an AGI might solve complex problems. By engaging with these tools, you'll get a hands-on understanding of how AGI could work and its implications for various industries.
• Volunteer for a leadership role in a local community organization or group to practice and refine your leadership skills. Taking on a leadership role, even in a small capacity, provides practical experience in managing teams, making decisions, and guiding a group toward common goals, similar to how a new CEO would lead a company.
• Reflect on your own leadership style by journaling about your decision-making processes. Consider how you would handle complex, data-driven decisions in a hypothetical scenario where you're leading an AI project. This exercise can help you identify areas for personal growth that align with the challenges faced by leaders in high-tech industries.

Other Perspectives

• The advancements in Google's AI could also be seen as a continuation of the company's long-standing commitment to AI, rather than a direct result of the leadership change.
• DeepMind's achievements in AI, such as advancements in protein folding with AlphaFold, suggest that operating within Google's structure has not hindered its ability to produce groundbreaking research.
• The idea of pursuing broader influence outside of the CEO role assumes that there are greater opportunities to do so, which may not be the case given the extensive reach and impact of Google in the tech industry and beyond.