Oprah Winfrey interviews AI technology leaders and public in ABC broadcast titled AI and the Future of Us
Oprah Winfrey interviewed AI technology leaders and the public in an hour-long ABC broadcast titled AI and the Future of Us. The show was created to help the public better understand the benefits and threats of current and emerging AI.
The luminaries interviewed included Microsoft founder and ex-CEO Bill Gates, and OpenAI founder and CEO Sam Altman. Both play a central role in modern AI development, with Microsoft funding OpenAI with over $13 billion thus far. In turn, OpenAI’s line of GPT large language model AI has become the most widely used AI today, notably as ChatGPT and CoPilot chatbots.
Sam Altman
Oprah noted the huge lack of diversity among AI creators, who are primarily white males. Altman responded that the diversity issue is being addressed in the industry, but slower than ideal. Apparently, the $13 billion Microsoft has invested in OpenAI hasn’t been used to quickly diversify. Altman hoped everyone will be able to use AI to create new things. OpenAI does not release its AI for free, unlike xAI’s free Grok.
When asked what keeps him up at night, Altman gave a confusing answer about the rate of change in the world and the economy due to AI that we haven’t seen yet.
Oprah questioned how the public can trust him after his own board kicked him out. Altman pivoted from himself by noting trust can be built by releasing AI, being transparent about its capabilities, and withholding releases based on internal safety criteria. So this suggests that without public participation, the powerful will remain in broad control of AI’s future.
Bill Gates
Bill Gates stated that AI will have a bigger impact on society than the PC, Internet, or phone and praised its potential to improve health care and education while reducing the need to work. But Gates noted that society will need to find a replacement for work to maintain human dignity.
He fears AI’s rapid development and noted the use of AI in the dissemination of misinformation. Simultaneously, a video of Alex Jones of Inforwars was shown. He suggested AI companies work with the government to minimize such. Gates also highlighted the need to find a replacement for work to maintain human dignity. Interestingly, studies have shown that most AIs possess a left-leaning bias and racial biases. Therefore, minimizing viewpoints can undermine the ability to speak freely in society.
Social media stars
Oprah had Marques Brownlee, a top YouTuber on tech, demonstrate the current capabilities of AI. He showed a generative video so realistic, many would believe it is of real people. Brownlee then convincingly demonstrated how AI could speak with his cloned voice.
The public
A mom recounted receiving a call that sounded like her daughter in danger, but it was actually a thief using an AI-generated copy of her daughter’s voice to extort money. AI technology can now copy voices with a sample in as short as three seconds, and staff have been fooled into handing over millions to hackers using AI deepfakes of key employees.
The public shared how they use AI and its potential benefits, emphasizing human qualities like growth, forgetfulness, love, belief in the divine, and the pursuit of knowledge.
Tech innovators
Oprah brought Aza Raskin and Tristan Harris on stage. Both co-founded the Center for Humane Technology. Raskin described how his invention, the infinite scroll, now wastes over half a million human lifetimes monthly in addictive activities like doomscrolling on social media.
Both worry that the rapid pace of AI development hinders recognition of danger and implementation of safety measures. Tristan wants laws passed to slow AI development so that society can keep up with addressing its undesired side effects.
The FBI
FBI director Christopher Wray lamented that AI is being exploited by criminals to create unsafe images and extort teens, leading to abuse and deaths. His biggest worry is China’s hacking program, which steals data from Americans and has a staff outnumbering FBI personnel fifty to one. Additionally, countries like China and Russia are impersonating Americans on social media to influence the upcoming presidential election.
Novelist
Marilynne Robinson, a Pulitzer awarded novelist, expressed concerns that AI threatens to eliminate the human touch in creating our reality. She criticized the concentration of control, capital, and energy in the AI industry. She worries that mankind’s lack of love for its own existence creates a dangerous opening for AI, potentially leading to more harm than benefits.
Robinson believes AI should be used for tasks like drug discovery, but not essential human activities like writing essays, which strengthen one’s mind. She likens AI development to the secretive Manhattan Project, which was led by a few and opened a Pandora’s Box without public discussion.
Oprah closed by warning that everyone must pay attention to AI - its dangers, what is real or not, what is AI knowledge versus human wisdom, and who we are and our future - because the stakes are higher than ever.
Source(s)
Watch 'AI and the Future of Us: An Oprah Winfrey Special' Thursday, September 12
By Jim Donnelly
Sep 9th, 2024
Oprah Winfrey hosts an eye-opening new special that explores the profound impact of artificial intelligence on people's daily lives, demystifying the technology and empowering viewers to understand and navigate the rapidly evolving AI future. The one-hour primetime event, "AI and the Future of Us: An Oprah Winfrey Special," airs THURSDAY, SEPT. 12 (8:00-9:03 p.m. EDT), on ABC and the next day on Hulu. The special features Winfrey's exclusive interviews with some of the most important and powerful people in AI including the following:
- Sam Altman, CEO of Open AI, will explain how AI works in layman's terms and discusses the immense personal responsibility that must be borne by the executives of AI companies.
- Microsoft Co-Founder and Chair of the Gates Foundation Bill Gates will lay out the AI revolution coming in science, health and education, and warns of the once-in-a-century type of impact AI may have on the job market.
- YouTube creator and technologist Marques Brownlee will walk Winfrey through mind-blowing demonstrations of AI's capabilities.
- Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin, co-founders of Center for Humane Technology, walk Winfrey through the emerging risks posed by powerful and superintelligent AI — sounding the alarm about the need to confront those risks now.
- FBI Director Christopher Wray reveals the terrifying ways criminals and foreign adversaries are using AI.
- Pulitzer Prize-winning author Marilynne Robinson reflects on AI's threat to human values and the ways in which humans might resist the convenience of AI.
"AI and the Future of Us: An Oprah Winfrey Special" provides a serious, entertaining and meaningful base for every viewer to understand AI, and empowers everyone to be a part of one of the most important global conversations of the 21st century.
"AI and the Future of Us: An Oprah Winfrey Special" is produced by Harpo Productions, executive produced by Oprah Winfrey and Backstory Partners' Josh Tyrangiel.
About Oprah Winfrey: Oprah Winfrey is a global media leader, producer, philanthropist, actress and author. Over the course of her esteemed career, she has created an unparalleled connection with people around the world, making her one of the most respected and admired figures today. For 25 years, Winfrey was host and producer of the award-winning talk show "The Oprah Winfrey Show," engaging in a range of multifaceted cultural conversations. Currently, Oprah oversees Harpo Productions, serves as chairman and CEO of OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, is the founder of O, The Oprah Magazine and digital companion site OprahDaily.com, and the host of the award-winning podcast "Super Soul."
About ABC Entertainment: ABC Entertainment's captivating programming includes "Grey's Anatomy," the longest-running medical drama in primetime television; ratings juggernaut "The Bachelor" franchise, including the newest hit spinoff "The Golden Bachelor"; riveting dramas "9-1-1," "Doctor Odyssey," "The Rookie" and "Will Trent"; trailblazing comedies "Abbott Elementary," "The Conners" and the upcoming "Shifting Gears"; star-making sensation "American Idol"; family favorites including "America's Funniest Home Videos," "Dancing with the Stars" and "Shark Tank"; popular game shows, including "Celebrity Family Feud," "Celebrity Jeopardy!," "Celebrity Wheel of Fortune" and "Press Your Luck"; "General Hospital," which just marked its milestone 60th season; and late-night talk show "Jimmy Kimmel Live"; as well as critically acclaimed specials and live events including "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest" and "The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony." The network is also home to some of television's most prestigious awards shows, including "The CMA Awards" and "The Oscars®."
ABC programming also streams next day on Hulu.
About Harpo Productions: Harpo Productions is a division of Oprah Winfrey's multimedia company Harpo, Inc., producing acclaimed feature films, documentary films, scripted television programming and digital content. Most recently, the critically acclaimed re-imagining of "The Color Purple" with Warner Bros from director Blitz Bazawule. Previous projects include the Emmy award-winning docu-series "The 1619 Project" from Nikole Hannah-Jones and Roger Ross Williams with Lionsgate and The New York Times; Academy Award-nominated "Selma" starring David Oyelowo; Golden Globe-nominated "The Hundred-Foot Journey" starring Helen Mirren; Emmy-nominated HBO film "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" starring Oprah Winfrey; and Black List script "The Water Man" alongside David Oyelowo's Yorubo Saxon and ShivHans Pictures. Currently, Harpo Films is producing the feature adaptation from Ta-Nehisi Coates "The Water Dancer" with MGM. Previous television projects include the recent adaptation of Charmaine Wilkerson's novel "Black Cake" for Hulu, OWN's critically acclaimed series "Queen Sugar" and "David Makes Man" with Warner Bros. and hit drama series "Greenleaf" with Lionsgate.
