Key execs out at OpenAI? Three Mile Island back online? Zuck talks to an AI Clone? Super Intelligence not far off? Just another normal week in the world of Artificial Intelligence. Let’s get to it!

OpenAI Exec Shakeup (and More)

This week has been quite eventful for OpenAI with some big changes in leadership. A few key executives, like CTO Mira Murati, Chief Research Officer Bob McGrew, and VP of Research Barret Zoph, have decided to move on. These departures are part of OpenAI’s shift from being a nonprofit to a for-profit benefit corporation. In a notable change, CEO Sam Altman will now get equity in the company, marking a significant shift in how OpenAI is run. This new structure is likely to draw in major investments, possibly boosting the company’s value to over $150 billion.

For better or worse, these moves signal OpenAI’s full focus on product (and profit). This will no doubt accelerate their (already pretty amazingly fast) product release timetables and businesses/consumers will benefit as long as OpenAI can maintain safety and security.

Meta Connect

Meta Connect 2024 just finished up yesterday and a lot of interesting AI related announcements were made. Take a look at this condensed video of the most important ones. Perhaps, most pertinent to our readers was their expansion of AI Studio to include convincing video avatars. Here is a demo from the conference. (Yes, many of the comments on these videos are about how as AI keeps getting better Mark Zuckerberg keeps looking more human. 🤖 )

The Meta AI Studio demo was impressive and ushers in a time where marketers will be able to employ lifelike video avatars (instead of knowledge or text-based chatbots) to educate and assist their consumers in more meaningful and empathic ways that have been possible in the past. Imagine being able to communicate like this with YOUR counselor or YOUR physician anytime of the day or night.

Going Nuclear

Microsoft has signed a 20-year agreement to buy power from the Three Mile Island nuclear plant, which is being restarted after its 2019 shutdown. This will provide Microsoft with 835 megawatts of low-carbon energy over that period of time. This step supports Microsoft's goal of becoming carbon negative by 2030. The plant, known for the 1979 nuclear incident, will now supply clean energy to Microsoft's data centers. The reactivation of Unit 1 is anticipated by 2028

This development comes as the International Energy Agency predicts that AI and data center electricity demand could more than double by 2026, potentially matching Germany's total electricity usage.

Other tech giants are also jumping on board, with Amazon Web Services planning to buy a nuclear-powered data center and Alphabet's CEO Sundar Pichai considering small modular nuclear reactors as energy sources for their data centers.

The AI boom is pushing tech companies to find reliable, low-carbon energy solutions to power their data centers and meet their climate goals. A nuclear power renaissance?

The Intelligence Age

And speaking of OpenAI again….in a blog post on his personal site, Sam Altman discussed what he’s calling the Intelligence Age and said “It is possible that we will have superintelligence in a few thousand days (!); it may take longer, but I’m confident we’ll get there.”

Sure, "thousands" of days can mean a lot of different things. For example, 2,000 days is about 5.5 years, and 5,000 days is almost 14 years. So, while Altman is super optimistic about the future of AI, he's not saying it's going to happen instantly.

While generative AI aims to reach the intellectual level of humans, superintelligent AI takes it a step further, potentially surpassing our brain's problem-solving and decision-making abilities by a wide margin.

Please check it out.

Well, it should be obvious, but I think many of us choose to enjoy the advances that AI delivers in kind of a snack form without taking into consideration the whole meal. The world will change considerably with just a few more levels of power to the tools we have at our disposal today. The promise superIntelligent AI changes the world completely.

Phew! See you next week.

A graphic designer by training, Dan’s career includes pivotal roles leading teams through every major advertising and marketing technology sea change of the last 30 years from the origins of interactive media and the world wide web to ecommerce, mobile, spatial computing and now artificial intelligence, Dan thrives on bringing new and never-been-done-before solutions to his clients.

Dan’s impressive client portfolio includes collaborations with industry giants and pioneers such as Apple, Barnes & Noble, Burton Snowboards, Ford Motor Company, Home Depot, Nike, P&G, Sherwin Williams, and Walmart.

Parallel Path is the proven guide for leading health and wellness brands who are ready to explore inventive and high-performing marketing strategies. We’re dedicated to working with brands who pursue wellbeing and defy conventions.