Latest news with #Lightcap
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Humans Have 4 Years Before AI Can Do Everything They Can Do, OpenAI COO Says
Homo sapiens had a good run. But OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap said Thursday AGI — or artificial general intelligence, where AI models can perform any intellectual task that humans can — will be reached within the next few years. 'I think it is possible that in the next four years, we do approximate something like [AGI], and it's a testament to how fast things are moving,' Lightcap said. His comment came during a discussion at The Wall Street Journal's 'The Future of Everything' Conference in New York City. What AGI will mean for humanity has been hotly debated among AI enthusiasts in recent years. Some believe it will spur a wave of unmatched creativity and productivity — an argument made at the conference a day earlier by Groq CEO Jonathan Ross — while others have said they are worried it could lead to mass unemployment, or worse. Elon Musk, notably, is bullish on AI. But he has also said he is worried AI could pose a 'fundamental risk' to humanity if it is goes rogue and is not aligned with humans. Alexis Ohanian, the co-founder of Reddit, said during a different panel on Thursday that he believes 'the pure software part of Silicon Valley' will have a 'reckoning' in the next few years as a result of AI. 'I don't relish or celebrate any of this,' Ohanian said. 'I do think more new jobs and careers will be created, but the business of building software is going to look tremendously different in the coming months and years.' Lightcap on Thursday said, for now, AI models like ChatGPT are simply great tools for humans. But 'with the rate of improvement' models are showing, a 'fairly steep takeoff' in AI capabilities is right around the corner, he believes. AI was a hot topic at the 'Future of Everything' conference this week. Beyond Ohanian's comments, Imagine Entertainment bosses Ron Howard and Brian Grazer on Wednesday said they are both 'excited' by AI and use it as a tool to jumpstart ideas or help with post-production work. But they also said they do not believe it can or will replace writers anytime soon. On Thursday, Lightcap said OpenAI has not made any formal deals with entertainment studios because his company is still building a 'level of trust' with Hollywood. He said he expects that to change in the years moving forward, as its tools advance and are more useful for professional filmmakers. The post Humans Have 4 Years Before AI Can Do Everything They Can Do, OpenAI COO Says appeared first on TheWrap.
BBC News
04-03-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Oxford university announces partnership with ChatGPT maker OpenAI
The University of Oxford has announced a new five-year partnership with OpenAI - the maker of the world's best-known artificial intelligence tool, collaboration will see students and staff gain access to funding and "cutting-edge" artificial intelligence (AI) tools to "enhance teaching, learning and research", the university of the Bodleian Library's public collection will also be digitised as part of the new Lightcap, OpenAI's chief operating officer, said "continued collaboration" with the academic community was "essential to build AI that benefits everyone". As part of the scheme, Oxford researchers will receive access to OpenAI's latest models, including a version of ChatGPT designed specifically for educational grant funding will also be available for projects that involve working with the firm, based in the Silicon Valley region of California in the US. The university said the partnership would "present opportunities to accelerate" its research into areas such as health and climate Patrick Grant, pro vice-chancellor for research at Oxford, said: "Artificial intelligence is accelerating the pace of scientific discovery and enabling researchers to work with increasingly complex data sets."The university aims to be at the forefront of AI research and the application of AI for all researchers, by producing ground-breaking studies to help both scholars and society not only adapt to these technologies, but also harness them wisely to their full potential," he added. Bodleian Library collections that have not previously been available online will also become accessible around the globe as part of the Richard Ovenden said: "'The Bodleian's mission is to acquire, preserve and make available knowledge for the benefit of our students, researchers and the wider public."Over the centuries we have constantly sought new ways to take this mission forward and have in more recent years been an innovator in the use of technology," he new partnership has come as a result of the University of Oxford's participation in NextGenAI - a project involving top universities in the US and UK that is sponsored by OpenAI."The NextGenAI initiative will accelerate research progress and catalyse a new generation of institutions equipped to harness the transformative power of AI," Mr Lightcap said. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
ChatGPT's growth is surging despite the DeepSeek buzz
Despite the emergence of Chinese-owned DeepSeek's AI platform, U.S.-based OpenAI's ChatGPT continues its growth. The San Francisco-based tech company reported 400 million weekly active users as of February, up 33% from 300 million in December, the company's chief operating officer, Brad Lightcap, told CNBC in an interview yesterday. Lightcap told the network that the growth is behind the 'natural progression' of ChatGPT as it becomes more useful and familiar to a broader group of people. 'People hear about it through word of mouth. They see the utility of it. They see their friends using it,' Lightcap said in the interview, adding that it takes time for individuals to find use cases that resonate. 'There's an overall effect of people really wanting these tools, and seeing that these tools are really valuable.' Unmesh Kulkarni, Head of Gen AI at data analytics company, Tredence, says that ChatGPT is a superior product over DeepSeek, which is also driving growth. 'DeepSeek R1 is an interesting and leading model with reasoning. However, they are not clearly superior to GPT's or Gemini models across the board in terms of performance, speed, and accuracy,' Kulkarni said, referring to the various models the AI platforms use. Robert W. Taylor, counsel with IT law firm Carstens, Allen & Gourley, LLP, echos the accuracy concerns about DeepSeek vs. ChatGPT. 'I've seen interesting opinions from people who have been vigorously testing DeepSeek and conclude that it is not quite as good from an accuracy or performance standpoint as some of the leading leaning language models,' Taylor says. The message about DeepSeek's security concerns may also be resonating with Americans, dampening its appeal. 'If you sign up with DeepSeek directly, their terms and conditions and privacy policy make it crystal clear that all your data will be sent to China, processed there, stored on servers there, and that they can generally use your data to train their models or for any other purpose under the theory of improving their service,' Taylor saidFor the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
OpenAI Hits 400M ChatGPT Users as DeepSeek's AI Sparks Market Shifts
OpenAI, backed by Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), has reached 400 million weekly active users for ChatGPT as of February, a 33% jump from December's 300 million, according to the company. Developer traffic has doubled in the past six months, and reasoning model usage has surged fivefold since OpenAI launched its o3 model. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 2 Warning Sign with MSFT. The company's enterprise business is gaining traction, now boasting over 2 million paying business users, up from 1 million in September. Major clients include Uber (NYSE:UBER), Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS), Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA), and T-Mobile (NASDAQ:TMUS). While consumer adoption is booming, OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap said enterprise adoption takes longer, comparing AI's rise to the cloud revolution. Meanwhile, Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is making waves. Its R1 model launch contributed to a massive Jan. 27 tech selloff, wiping $589 billion off Nvidia's (NASDAQ:NVDA) market cap. Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is also integrating OpenAI's AI into Apple Intelligence, combining in-house and OpenAI tech. Despite growing competition, Lightcap sees this as proof of AI's momentum. It shows just how much people care, he said. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Yahoo
Police: Firefighters intentionally started multiple fires in Lancaster County
LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — Three firefighters in Lancaster County were charged Thursday after police say they intentionally started multiple fires from October and November. Joshua Lightcap, 23, of Columbia, Mason Howard, 21, of Akron, and a juvenile, are accused of starting fires in a corn field, and a hay bale fire within a week or so of each other, according to court documents filed by East Hempfield police. Lightcap and the juvenile are also accused of setting an old rail station building being used as storage for Amtrak on fire and also a shed. The charges filed show all three were members of the Hempfield Fire Department during the fires. abc27 left a request for comment with Chief Fire Official John Kottmyer Thursday evening but have yet to hear back. A cornfield in the 6100 block of Metzler Road in East Hempfield Township was intentionally set on fire Oct. 26 and again on Nov. 8, and a large stack of hay bales in the 1300 block of Junction Road in Penn Township was also set on fire on Nov. 9. FedEx driver was on his phone before Pennsylvania Turnpike crash that killed father, children; PSP According to a criminal complaint, Lightcap was the one who reported the first fire to 911, saying that a hysterical woman came into the fire station to report it. It was later learned that Howard actually drove Lightcap and the juvenile to the station after they set the fires and they all helped in extinguishing the flames at the scenes, police said. Lightcap claimed he was sleeping when the woman came to report the fire, but police said his key card to enter the firehouse was used about forty minutes prior to him calling 911. During the Nov. 8 fire, multiple departments struggled to contain the flames due to the high winds gusting between 30 and 40 mph. 'The effort to fight the fire was extremely dangerous and the fire risk for this date was high,' police noted in the charges. A total of 220 corn fodder bails worth just over $15,000 were destroyed during the Penn Township fire. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now A shed on a property that did not have electricity but did have equipment and tools inside it was also allegedly set on fire on Thanksgiving by Lightcap and the juvenile. Police said when they questioned the juvenile, officers were drawn a map of the path the duo took from and to the area where the fire started. Multiple calls were made to 911 about the old rail station building that was on fire, along East Main Street, on Nov. 2, and when crews arrived it was fully involved. The fire was ruled arson due to no electricity to the building that was being used as dry storage, and a K9 detected a spot where flammable liquid was used. That fire was determined to have been started by the juvenile and Lightcap who used a stick lighter after the duo was questioned, police said. A claim Lightcap made about him being in the shower when crews were being dispatched for one of the fires turned out to be false after interviewing a department member, police said. After going through Lightcap's phone, police said they saw a conversation between him and the juvenile where the minor said 'I hope we never get caught. The charges show Lightcap also searched 'flammable stuff,' 'Can you clean fingerprints,' 'Can electric start lighter fluid,' and 'Dryer lint fire started.' Lightcap faces charges that include felony counts of arson, conspiracy – arson and conspiracy – agricultural vandalism He also faces misdemeanor charges that include counts of recklessly endangering another person and possession instrument of crime with intent to use. He also faces summary charges as well. Howard faces charges that include a felony count of conspiracy, and misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person and possession instrument of crime with intent to use. He also faces summary charges as well. Preliminary hearings have yet to be scheduled for them. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
