OpenAI co-founder says AI is going to be extremely unpredictable and unimaginable

India Today

5 days ago

Artificial intelligence may still be imperfect today, but Ilya Sutskever, co-founder and former chief scientist at OpenAI, believes it is only the beginning of a future that could quickly become unpredictable and unimaginable. Speaking in a recent video interview with The Open University of Israel, Sutskever said that the rapid development of AI systems could lead to a tipping point. Once AI begins to improve itself, the pace of progress might spiral beyond human control or comprehension. 'AI is going to be both extremely unpredictable and unimaginable,' he said.advertisementWhile he acknowledged the risks, Sutskever also expressed optimism about the technology's potential to transform the world. 'If the AI became capable enough, we'll have incredible health care,' he said, adding that diseases could be cured and human lifespans extended.Sutskever's comments came shortly after he accepted an honorary degree from The Open University, where he reflected on his personal journey into artificial intelligence. He described how, as an eighth-grade student, he taught himself advanced topics simply by reading slowly and carefully until he understood them.After relocating to Toronto, Sutskever made an unusual choice: he skipped completing high school and instead transferred directly to the University of Toronto to study under AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton. 'The place to be,' he recalled.
This passion for learning led him to help develop AlexNet, a groundbreaking neural network that reshaped the field of AI. That success caught the attention of major tech companies, eventually leading Sutskever and his collaborators to form a startup, later acquired by Google. His next move was co-founding OpenAI, driven by a desire to build something meaningful 'with all these illustrious people.'Ilya Sutskever says AI could cure disease, extend life, and accelerate science beyond imagination.But if it can do that, what else can it do?'The problem with AI is that it is so powerful. It can also do everything.'We don't know what's coming. We must prepare, together. pic.twitter.com/qTuEu5XSsF— vitrupo (@vitrupo) June 28, 2025advertisementIn his recent remarks, Sutskever stressed how AI is already capable of surprising feats, calling its current state 'evocative'. He said that AI is already powerful enough to hint at vast possibilities, but not yet fully realised. He said AI systems would eventually be able to do everything that humans can do, and perhaps more.He laid out his reasoning with a simple comparison: 'We have a brain, the brain is a biological computer, so why can't a digital computer, a digital brain, do the same things?'When pressed on how soon such a future might arrive, Sutskever estimated a breakthrough into true superintelligence could happen in 'three, five, maybe ten years.' What comes after, he said, is unclear. 'The rate of progress will become really extremely fast for some time at least,' he added.That future, he said, is unavoidable. 'Whether you like it or not, your life is going to be affected by AI to a great extent.'Sutskever also shared advice for the graduating class, encouraging them to focus on the present instead of dwelling on past mistakes. 'It's so easy to think, 'Oh, some bad past decision or bad stroke of luck,'' he said. 'It's just so much better and more productive to say, 'Okay, things are the way they are, what's the next best step?''advertisementHis words held deeper meaning given his own role in the surprise ousting of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in late 2023. Sutskever was part of the board that removed Altman, only to later express deep regret and join the call for his reinstatement. Altman returned within days, and Sutskever left the company six months later to launch a new AI lab focused on building 'safe superintelligence.'Returning to his academic roots, Sutskever told graduates that the age of AI is unlike any other moment in history. 'We all live in the most unusual time ever,' he said. 'And the reason it's true this time is because of AI.'- Ends