--- title: "Sam Altman Seems to Imply That OpenAI Is Building God" description: "Ever since being named CEO of OpenAI in 2019, co-founder Sam Altman has made the company's number one mission to build an \"artificial general intelligence\" (AGI) that is both \"safe\" and can benefit \"all of humanity.\" And while we haven't really come to an agreement on what AGI actually is — some have argued it's an […]" date: "2023-11-15" modified: "2023-11-15" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/sam-altman-imply-openai-building-god" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "OpenAI" tags: - "agi" - "OpenAI" - "sam altman" - "superintelligence" --- # Sam Altman Seems to Imply That OpenAI Is Building God ![In a recent interview, Altman described AGI as a "magic intelligence in the sky," which sounds an awful lot like a God.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* Ever since becoming CEO of OpenAI in 2019, cofounder Sam Altman has made the company's [number one mission]() to build an "artificial general intelligence" (AGI) that is both "safe" and can benefit "all of humanity." And while we [haven't really come to an agreement]() on what would actually count as AGI, Altman's own vision remains as lofty as it is vague. Take this [new interview with the *Financial Times*]() where Altman [dished on the upcoming GPT-5]() — and described AGI as a "magic intelligence in the sky," which sounds an *awful* lot like he's implying his company is building a God-like entity. OpenAI's [own definition]() of AGI is a "system that outperforms humans at most economically valuable work," a far more down-to-earth description of what amounts to an omnipotent "superintelligence" for Altman. In an [interview with *The Atlantic*]() earlier this year, Altman painted a rosy and speculative vision an AGI-powered future, describing a utopian society in which "robots that use solar power for energy can go and mine and refine all of the minerals that they need," all without the requiring the input of "human labor." And Altman isn't the only one invoking the language of a God-like AI in the sky. "We’re creating God," an AI engineer working on large language models [told *Vanity Fair*]() in September. "We're creating conscious machines." In April, Tesla CEO and OpenAI cofounder Elon Musk — who recently launched his own AI chatbot called Grok, despite warning about the possibility of an evil AI outsmarting humans and taking over the world [for]() [many years]() — [told *Fox News*]() that Google founder Larry Page "wanted a sort of digital super-intelligence" which would eventually become "basically a digital god, if you will, as soon as possible." "The reason Open AI exists at all is that Larry Page and I used to be close friends and I would stay at his house in Palo Alto and I would talk to him late in the night about AI safety," Musk added. "At least my perception was that Larry was not taking AI safety seriously enough." Musk [ragequit]() OpenAI in 2018 over disagreements with the company's direction, a year before Altman was appointed CEO. For someone so dead-set on AGI, the only trouble is that Altman still sometimes sounds very hazy on the details. "The vision is to make AGI, figure out how to make it safe... and figure out the benefits," he told the *FT,* in a vague statement that lacks the degree of specificity you'd expect from the head of a company talking about its number one goal. But to keep the ball rolling in the meantime, Altman told the newspaper that OpenAI will likely ask Microsoft for even more money, following a [$10 billion investment]() by the tech giant earlier this year. "There’s a long way to go, and a lot of compute to build out between here and AGI," he told the *FT*, arguing that "training expenses are just huge." OpenAI is also conveniently allowing its own board to decide when we've reached AGI, [according to the company's website](), suggesting there's clearly plenty of wriggle room when it comes to an already hard-to-pin-down topic. Whether we'll all be witness to a divine ascension of technology — or, heck, a robot that can help middle schoolers with their homework — remains unclear at best. Even Altman seemingly has yet to figure out what the "magic intelligence in the sky" will mean for modern society. But one thing is for certain: it'll be an extremely expensive endeavor, and he's looking for more investment. **More on AGI:** *[Google AI Chief Says There's a 50% Chance We'll Hit AGI in Just 5 Years]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()