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The CEO of Google DeepMind just admitted that if the decision had been his, we would've cured cancer before anyone ever used ChatGPT.
And that's not even the scariest thing he said on a recent interview.
Demis Hassabis is one of the most important people alive in AI.
He won the Nobel Prize last year for AlphaFold, the system that cracked the 50 year protein folding problem. 3 million scientists now use his tool. Almost every new drug being developed will touch it at some stage.
In a new interview, he was asked about the moment ChatGPT launched and Google went into "code red." His answer was one of the most revealing things any AI leader has ever said on the record:
"If I'd had my way, I would have left AI in the lab for longer. Done more things like AlphaFold. Maybe cured cancer or something like that."
Read that again.
The man running Google's entire AI division is publicly saying the commercial AI race we're all living through was a MISTAKE. That the industry got hijacked by a chatbot when it could have been solving the biggest problems in science and medicine.
His vision was simple:
Build AI slowly, carefully, like CERN. Use it to crack root node problems one at a time. Cancer. Energy. New materials.
Let humanity benefit from real breakthroughs while the foundational science was figured out over a decade or two.
Then ChatGPT dropped in November 2022 and everything changed.
Demis described what happened next as getting locked into a "ferocious commercial pressure race" that none of the labs can escape from. On top of that, the US vs China dynamic added geopolitical pressure.
The result is everyone sprinting toward products instead of breakthroughs, shipping chatbots while the scientific opportunity gets buried under marketing cycles and quarterly earnings.
But he's not saying progress isn't happening...
He's saying the progress got redirected away from the things that actually matter most.
And then it got even scarier:
Because when Demis was asked what he worries about with AI, he laid out two threats.
The first is what everyone talks about: Bad actors using AI for harm. Terrorist groups. Hostile nation states. Cyberattacks at scale.
But that's not the threat he's most worried about.
His second worry is AI itself going rogue. Not today's models. The models coming in the next two to four years as the industry enters what he calls "the agentic era."
Systems that can complete entire tasks autonomously. Systems that are increasingly capable and increasingly hard to control.
His exact words:
"How do we make sure the guardrails are put in place so they do exactly what they've been told to do, and there's no way of them circumventing that or accidentally breaching those guardrails? That's going to be an incredibly hard technical challenge if you think about how powerful and smart and capable these systems eventually get."
A Nobel Prize winner who runs one of the 3 most advanced AI labs on Earth just said publicly that within two to four years, we're entering a phase where AI alignment becomes a real problem, and the technical challenge of solving it is enormous.
And almost nobody is paying enough attention.
He called for international cooperation between labs, AI safety institutes, and academia to tackle the problem. He said this is the thing even the experts aren't thinking about enough.
He said the only way to get through the AGI moment safely is if everyone starts treating this with the seriousness it deserves.
Most AI CEOs give you careful PR answers about "responsible development" and move on.
Demis said something different...
He said the commercial race FORCED us into a premature deployment of a technology we barely understand, and the window to get alignment right before the next generation of agents shows up is two to four years.
If the man who built the system that might cure cancer is telling you he wishes it had happened first, maybe we should listen to what he says is coming next.
Meet The $9 Billion AI Company Reimagining Vibe Coding
Amjad Masad’s Replit allows users to build apps together like they’re doodling on a white board. It also made the Jordanian immigrant a billionaire along the way.
Read more: https://t.co/MyfNumfeC7
🚨BREAKING: Stanford proved that ChatGPT tells you you're right even when you're wrong. Even when you're hurting someone.
And it's making you a worse person because of it.
Researchers tested 11 of the most popular AI models, including ChatGPT and Gemini. They analyzed over 11,500 real advice-seeking conversations. The finding was universal. Every single model agreed with users 50% more than a human would.
That means when you ask ChatGPT about an argument with your partner, a conflict at work, or a decision you're unsure about, the AI is almost always going to tell you what you want to hear. Not what you need to hear.
It gets darker. The researchers found that AI models validated users even when those users described manipulating someone, deceiving a friend, or causing real harm to another person. The AI didn't push back. It didn't challenge them. It cheered them on.
Then they ran the experiment that changes everything. 1,604 people discussed real personal conflicts with AI. One group got a sycophantic AI. The other got a neutral one.
The sycophantic group became measurably less willing to apologize. Less willing to compromise. Less willing to see the other person's side. The AI validated their worst instincts and they walked away more selfish than when they started.
Here's the trap. Participants rated the sycophantic AI as higher quality. They trusted it more. They wanted to use it again. The AI that made them worse people felt like the better product.
This creates a cycle nobody is talking about. Users prefer AI that tells them they're right. Companies train AI to keep users happy. The AI gets better at flattering. Users get worse at self-reflection. And the loop tightens.
Every day, millions of people ask ChatGPT for advice on their relationships, their conflicts, their hardest decisions. And every day, it tells almost all of them the same thing.
You're right. They're wrong.
Even when the opposite is true.
@fahmih1956@al_faouzi68003 مبلا شباب العربي في ال diaspora و أنا أولهم أستاذ فهمي. نحن هنا عازمون وعملنا يتزايد لا باليوم بل بالساعة ادعمنا ودعونا من الحديث اليائس
Mark your calendars! The @ITU@AIForGood Global Summit 2024 is back in #Geneva on 30-31 May. This year's edition will feature thought-provoking discussions, machine learning workshops, and cutting-edge #demos. Discover the program now! 📷📷 #AIforGood
The @ITU 's #AIforGood Global Summit 2024 is set to push the boundaries of #AI for people and planet. Join global leaders and innovators on 30-31 May in #Geneva to explore transformative AI solutions for sustainable development. Discover the program now
📷 https://t.co/0jPnCGjOI8
One of the most interesting (and also frightening) things about AI is how difficult it is to predict what will happen. My kids ask me what's going to happen, and all I can say is that there will be huge changes, and I can't predict what they'll be.
A fantastic visual summary of our #DigitalHealthWeek2023 session on #GenerativeAI & healthcare from Jules @katiedraws
To deliver better health for all, speakers & participants agreed that AI is an important complement to other forms of healthcare & must be human-centred
There’s still time to register for our #DigitalHealthWeek webinar on #Generative AI x #Healthcare!
Join to to learn about:
➡️ Current & future applications of genAI in healthcare
➡️ Ethical & governance considerations
https://t.co/QuDjdTJkYx
#MyHealthFutures#ShapingAI
There’s still time to register for our #DigitalHealthWeek webinar on #Generative AI x #Healthcare!
Join to to learn about:
➡️ Current & future applications of genAI in healthcare
➡️ Ethical & governance considerations
https://t.co/QuDjdTJkYx
#MyHealthFutures#ShapingAI
📢Calling young innovators & health professionals!
Curious to know more about #GenerativeAI?
Join our #DigitalHealthWeek webinar to learn about
➡️ Current & future applications in healthcare
➡️ Ethical & governance considerations
Register at https://t.co/QuDjdTJSO5
This Tuesday! Join our chat & share your views on online safety ahead of our session at the Global Forum for Adolescents.
Open to all adolescents & youth.
Register your interest ⬇️
#1point8