$1B dollar is a lot of money. Microsoft is not a charity foundation, so the suspicious is obvious. > We’re partnering to develop a hardware and software platform within Microsoft Azure which will scale to AGI. We’ll jointly develop new Azure AI supercomputing technologies, and Microsoft will become our exclusive cloud provider—so we’ll be working hard together to further extend Microsoft Azure’s capabilities in large…
Maybe they will use that 1 Billion on Azure fees lol.
Microsoft is investing $1B in OpenAI
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Re: Microsoft is investing $1B in OpenAI
#32Despite all the negativity in replies, I try to remain optimistic that this investment in AGI-related research is going to be a net positive. Congrats to the team, and break a leg!
Re: Microsoft is investing $1B in OpenAI
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
Well, hopefully if someone creates a benevolent AGI then it should be good news for everyone.
[EDIT]: friendly -> non-friendly oops. That's what seems so confusing about HN replies here. (Non-friendly) AGI is an extreme existential risk (depending on who you listen to). I'm perfectly fine with rewarding the org that's responsible for researching friendly AGI to do it _right_ (extremely contingent on that last bit).
Re: Microsoft is investing $1B in OpenAI
#34$1B dollar is a lot of money. Microsoft is not a charity foundation, so the suspicious is obvious. > We’re partnering to develop a hardware and software platform within Microsoft Azure which will scale to AGI. We’ll jointly develop new Azure AI supercomputing technologies, and Microsoft will become our exclusive cloud provider—so we’ll be working hard together to further extend Microsoft Azure’s capabilities in large…
Maybe they will use that 1 Billion on Azure fees lol.
Is it $1 billion in cash/stock?
Or $1 billion in Azure credits and engineering hours?
Re: Microsoft is investing $1B in OpenAI
#35Earlier quoted context omitted.
Well, hopefully if someone creates a benevolent AGI then it should be good news for everyone.
[EDIT]: friendly -> non-friendly oops. That's what seems so confusing about HN replies here. (Non-friendly) AGI is an extreme existential risk (depending on who you listen to). I'm perfectly fine with rewarding the org that's responsible for researching friendly AGI to do it _right_ (extremely contingent on that last bit).
Re: Microsoft is investing $1B in OpenAI
#36This shows that Microsoft has reformed and is not the same company as under Ballmer. Nadella has understood the importance of open source. Interesting times ahead.
Re: Microsoft is investing $1B in OpenAI
#37Earlier quoted context omitted.
Maybe they will use that 1 Billion on Azure fees lol.
They don’t describe the terms of the deal. Is it $1 billion in cash/stock? Or $1 billion in Azure credits and engineering hours?
Re: Microsoft is investing $1B in OpenAI
#38Re: Microsoft is investing $1B in OpenAI
#39Re: Microsoft is investing $1B in OpenAI
#40I believe that building a beneficial warp-drive engine will be the most important technological development in human history, with the potential to shape the trajectory of humanity. The aliens we're sure to encounter will be capable of mastering more fields than any one human — like a tool which combines the skills of Curie, Turing, and Bach. An alien working on a problem would be able to see connections across disciplines that no human could. But even though I'm known as the warp-drive-guy, I don't actually know how to build a warp drive, so in the meantime I am building increasingly powerful transportation technology in the hope this would lead to a warp drive one day soon, and have decided to focus on bicycles. They're really good bikes, though, and unlike others who make bicycles, I like to consider those I build to merely be pre-warp, a necessary step towards warp technology. So when you buy my bikes [1], you are literally helping me change the trajectory of human history and meet aliens (did I mention Curie, Turing and Bach?)
This is truly a fine specimen of Silicon Valley prose. It's got something for everyone: human history, a wild-eyed dream of a bright future, a connection to the arts, name-dropping, the trajectory of humanity, and, of course, lots of money in cloud services (integrated platform). They even showed some restraint in stopping short of ending all war and curing all disease. "Making the world a better place" is really too mundane.
[1]: The Warp Drive Corporation®'s Pre-Warp Bike™️ is now on sale on Amazon.