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Ilya Sutskever's SSI Inc raises $1B

reuters.com

541–550 of 803 posts

Re: Ilya Sutskever's SSI Inc raises $1B

#541

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The intuition is pretty spot on though. We don't need to get to AGI. Just making progress along the way to AGI can do plenty of damage. 1. AI-driven medical procedures: Healthcare Cost = $0. 2. Access to world class education: Cost of education = $0 3. Transportation: Cheap Autonomous vehicles powered by Solar. 4. Scientific research: AI will accelerate scientific progress by coming up with novel hypotheses and then…

Yeah, definitely no magical thinking here. Nothing is free. Computers cost money and energy. Infrastructure costs money and energy. Even if no human is in the loop(who says this is even desirable?), all of the things you mention require infrastructure, computers, materials. Meaning there's a cost. Also, the idea that "AI law enforcement" is somehow perfect just goes to illustrates GP's point. Sure, if we define "AGI"…

If we can build robots with human level intelligence then you could apply that to all of the costs you describe with substantial savings. Even if such a robot was $100k that is still a one time cost (with maintenance but that’s a fraction of the full price) and long-term substantially cheaper than human workers.

So it’s not just the products that get cheaper, it’s the materials that go into the products that get cheaper too. Heck, what if the robots can build other robots? The cost of that would get cheaper too.

Re: Ilya Sutskever's SSI Inc raises $1B

#542
post #26

Same funding as OpenAI when they started, but SSI explicitly declared their intention not to release a single product until superintelligence is reached. Closest thing we have to a Manhattan Project in the modern era?

> Closest thing we have to a Manhattan Project in the modern era? Minus the urgency, scientific process, well-defined goals, target dates, public ownership, accountability...

nailed it bro, someone give this man a podium

Re: Ilya Sutskever's SSI Inc raises $1B

#543

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If Ilya is sincere in his belief about safe superintelligence being within reach in a decade or so, and the investors sincerely believe this as well, then the business plan is presumably to deploy the superintelligence in every field imaginable. "SSI" in pharmaceuticals alone would be worth the investment. It could cure every disease humanity has ever known, which should give it at least a $2 trillion valuation. I'm…

I’m dubious about super intelligence. Maybe I’ve seen one too many sci-fi dystopian films but I guess yes, iif it can be done and be safe sure it’d be worth trillions.

I refuse to use the term A.I. - for me it's only F.I. - "fake intelligence" )

Re: Ilya Sutskever's SSI Inc raises $1B

#544

Doesn't this corrupt SafeAI's safe vision just like $1,000,000,000 corrupted OpenAI's open vision? How can investment like this not transform a company's mission into eventually paying back Billions and making Billions of dollars?

Seems strange to associate profit motives with being unsafe. Yes cutting corners can lead to short term profits but many companies make safety a priority in fact and make a profit, and in fact make a profit because their product is higher quality and safer than the competitors.

Re: Ilya Sutskever's SSI Inc raises $1B

#545
post #499
post #483

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not crazy to believe that capitalizing* human-level intelligence would reap unimaginably large financial rewards. *Capitalizing as in turning into an owned capital asset that throws off income.

We already have human-level intelligence in HUMANS right now, the hack is that the wealthy want to get rid of the human part! It's not crazy, it's sad to think that humans are trying to "capitalize" human intelligence, rather than help real humans.

For what it's worth, I don't think it has to be all bad. Among many possibilities, I really do believe that AI could change education for the better, and profoundly. Super-intelligent machines might end up helping generations of people become smarter and more thoughtful than their predecessors.

Re: Ilya Sutskever's SSI Inc raises $1B

#546
post #540

This being ycombinator and as such ostensibly has one or two (if not more) VCs as readers/commentators … can someone please tell me how these companies that are being invested in in the AI space are going to make returns on the money invested? What’s the business plan? (I’m not rich enough to be in these meetings) I just don’t see how the returns will happen. Open source LLMs exist and will get better. Is it just tha…

Current investors just need the co to be valued at $50B on the next round (likely, given fomo and hype) to make a 10X gain. Actually converting it to cash? That doesn't happen anymore. Everyone just focuses on IRR and starts the campaign for Fund II.

you are missing the point. SSI believes that it can build a super intelligence. Regardless of whether you personally buy into that or not, the expected value of such an investment is infinity effectively. 5 billion dollar valuation is a steal

Re: Ilya Sutskever's SSI Inc raises $1B

#547
post #545
post #499

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We already have human-level intelligence in HUMANS right now, the hack is that the wealthy want to get rid of the human part! It's not crazy, it's sad to think that humans are trying to "capitalize" human intelligence, rather than help real humans.

For what it's worth, I don't think it has to be all bad. Among many possibilities, I really do believe that AI could change education for the better, and profoundly. Super-intelligent machines might end up helping generations of people become smarter and more thoughtful than their predecessors.

Sure, if AGI were controlled by an organization or individual with good intent, it could be used that way or for other good works. I suspect AGI will be controlled by a big corp or a small startup with big corp funding and/or ties and will be used for whatever makes the most cash, bar none. If that means replacing every human job with a robot that talks, then so be it.

Re: Ilya Sutskever's SSI Inc raises $1B

#548

Same funding as OpenAI when they started, but SSI explicitly declared their intention not to release a single product until superintelligence is reached. Closest thing we have to a Manhattan Project in the modern era?

Super Intelligence, even OpenAI when getting investment from Microsoft, OpenAI won’t have to share its “AGI” model to them and it is up to OpenAI to define what that is and who the heck knows how they will define it. The point is that that phrase is the most ambiguous word in tech right now and almost everyone thinks what’s in their head is AGI, some will think Skynet, some will think enough reason ability, some will think god like undecipherable logic and everywhere in between

Re: Ilya Sutskever's SSI Inc raises $1B

#549
post #502

Earlier quoted context omitted.

These VC’s are already lining up the exit as they are investing. They all sit on the boards of major corps and grease the acquisitions all the way through. The hit rate of the top funds is all about connections and enablement.

I think it's a fascinating question whether the VCs that are still somehow pushing Blockchain stuff hard really think it's a good idea, or just need the regulatory framework and perception to be right so they can make a profitable exit and dump the stock into teacher's pension funds and 401ks…

This, 100%

Re: Ilya Sutskever's SSI Inc raises $1B

#550

This being ycombinator and as such ostensibly has one or two (if not more) VCs as readers/commentators … can someone please tell me how these companies that are being invested in in the AI space are going to make returns on the money invested? What’s the business plan? (I’m not rich enough to be in these meetings) I just don’t see how the returns will happen. Open source LLMs exist and will get better. Is it just tha…

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