OpenAI CEO Sam Altman gets a rethink on the AI term that OpenAI and Microsoft top execs didn't agree upon

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman downplays the term AGI, stating its relevance is fading due to varying definitions and evolving work landscapes. This contrasts with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's skepticism, who dismisses AGI milestones as mere "nonsensical benchmark hacking.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman gets a rethink on the AI term that OpenAI and Microsoft top execs didn't agree upon
Artificial General Intelligence – AGI has been a point of contention between OpenAI and Microsoft. While Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has publicly expressed his doubts over the technology, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and executives were earlier reported to be close to claim that their AI tool has reached the level. Now, Altman has said that the word AGI is “losing its relevance,” reports CNBC. The CEO was asked whether the company’s latest GPT-5 model moves the world any closer to achieving AGI during CNBC’s “Squawk Box” last week. Sam Altman replied saying “I think it’s not a super useful term”.Sam Altman said the challenge with AGI is that different companies and people define it in different ways. One definition, he explained, is an AI that can do “a significant amount of the work in the world.” But this has problems, as the type of work people do keeps changing.“I think the point of all of this is it doesn’t really matter and it’s just this continuing exponential of model capability that we’ll rely on for more and more things,” he added.


How AGI is a point of contention between OpenAI and Microsoft

According to OpenAI AGI is a "highly autonomous system that outperforms humans at most economically valuable work," a milestone Altman suggests is "just around the corner."
This contrasts sharply with Microsoft’s Satya Nadella's more critical stance. In a February tech podcast, Nadella dismissed self-proclaimed AGI milestones as "nonsensical benchmark hacking". The remark then reportedly surprised some OpenAI officials who once viewed him as an "AGI believer."Despite the internal tension, representatives from both companies had offered a unified front. “We have a long-term, productive partnership that has delivered amazing AI tools for everyone. Talks are ongoing, and we are optimistic we will continue to build together for years to come,” reads a statement.
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