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What has all this token burn done for them, actually? They have been consistently pushing AI frontier. What other impact do you want to see? A year ago they sa

by p1esk 19d ago

What has all this token burn done for them, actually? They have been consistently pushing AI frontier. What other impact do you want to see? A year ago they said that in a year they will have a level of capabilities of an AI research intern - I believe they have achieved it, even before Astra.

bpodgursky 19d ago
They are obviously sandbagging the definition of "intern" for PR reasons
- p1esk 19d ago
  I've hired many AI research interns (and was one many years ago), and I agree with them - frontier models are currently at the level of an average AI research intern.
  - Yoric 19d ago
    Am I the only one who's a bit disappointed that we're spending trillions, destroying the ecosystem, drowning democracies and learning in slop, preparing a big financial crash, all of this to achieve an "average AI research intern"? A long time ago, I used to be a (AI-adjacent) research intern, and frankly, I wouldn't trust any non-trivial task to that younger me. Fortunately, by opposition to an already trained LLM or agent, I have the ability to learn, so I eventually got better.
    - ACCount37 19d ago
      "Destroying the ecosystem" is just FUD. And if you don't find "average AI research intern" impressive, I'm not sure what to tell you. Have the goalposts moved so far that open ended problem solving at "average CS student fresh out of the uni" levels is suddenly trivial? Think of what AI was capable of in 2016. Or even 2022. Compare that to now. We had more AI progress in the last five years than I expected to happen in five decades.
      - Yoric 19d ago
        > "Destroying the ecosystem" is just FUD. Let's say it is. What about the rest of my paragraph? > And if you don't find "average AI research intern" impressive, I'm not sure what to tell you. Have the goalposts moved so far that open ended problem solving at "average CS student fresh out of the uni" levels is suddenly trivial? At this stage, I'm the one who doesn't know what to tell you. It took me years to grow from "research intern" into a competent researcher (and parallel years to turn into a competent developer). The research interns I've worked with were... vaguely useful, at best?
      - sfn42 19d ago
        The ecosystem absolutely is being destroyed. We're looking at anywhere from 3-5C warming by 2060, which is going to be devastating if not flat out apocalyptic. And wherever we're at in 2060 it's not like it's going to stop there, nor is it going to be comfortable until then. Things may start to crumble much sooner. I don't believe AI and data centers have played that much of a role in this though, we could have powered those without burning billions of tons of coal and gas etc, and im sure there's already a significant fraction of green energy powering then depending on location. Anyway we would have been roughly in the same spot right now with or without AI and some new data centers. The media just loves spinning the narrative to make the hordes of sheep scream about anything other than the real issues.
        ACCount37 18d ago
        We're not even looking at 5C of warming by 2100 realistically. Like, that was considered to be an unlikely extreme scenario in 2014 AR5, and also in the tightened down 2021 AR6, and things have happened since! Renewables are cheaper than ever, and Ukrainian war and Iranian war both curbed the appetite for long term fossil fuel power investment. The median is what, a bit under 3C by 2100? Not even by 2060 - by 2100. And we're in 2026, so that's more than twice as slow as your expectation. Agreed on AI not being a meaningful factor in climate change though. We'd have to go full "humankind is obsolete" technological singularity to have AI dominate energy use to this extent, and current numbers are nowhere near that. It's a FUD distraction from the real culprits: the fossil fuel energy complex. That's currently lobbying to slow the inevitable energy transition.
    - 21asdffdsa12 19d ago
      Is this not what you wanted? You created a culture that dissolves responsibility by making it the worst thing to strife for - so everyone dissolves it, in processes, mass decisions and AI. Its the system, society, god, the great spirit. This is what you strove for, how can you be unhappy with things you demanded yourself?
      - Yoric 18d ago
        Who, me?
bix6 19d ago
Personally I’d like to see them actually start benefiting humanity by doing all the things Sam has claimed they will like curing disease, cancer, global warming, etc. But I guess a computer intern so we can avoid paying / training the next generation is better.
- weatherlite 19d ago
  Well there's great progress in automated warfare does that count?
  - jonplackett 19d ago
    Only if targeting schools is progress
    - weatherlite 19d ago
      You're focusing on the negatives there were tons of direct hits on tankers that were absolutely beautiful. Beautiful tankers getting lit.
  - bix6 19d ago
    Oof too real
  - huurtehoog 12d ago
    And the outcome is a steadily worsening quagmire.
- gatio 19d ago
  > Personally I’d like to see them actually start benefiting humanity by doing all the things Sam has claimed they will like curing disease, cancer, global warming, etc. It makes more sense to leave curing disease & cancer to the experts, with tools (like AI) being developed by AI experts. Call me crazy, but I want separate organizations and experts for medical vs finance vs space vs climate vs AI research.
  - 19d ago

by p1esk 19d ago

bpodgursky 19d ago

They are obviously sandbagging the definition of "intern" for PR reasons

p1esk 19d ago
I've hired many AI research interns (and was one many years ago), and I agree with them - frontier models are currently at the level of an average AI research intern.
- Yoric 19d ago
  Am I the only one who's a bit disappointed that we're spending trillions, destroying the ecosystem, drowning democracies and learning in slop, preparing a big financial crash, all of this to achieve an "average AI research intern"? A long time ago, I used to be a (AI-adjacent) research intern, and frankly, I wouldn't trust any non-trivial task to that younger me. Fortunately, by opposition to an already trained LLM or agent, I have the ability to learn, so I eventually got better.
  - ACCount37 19d ago
    "Destroying the ecosystem" is just FUD. And if you don't find "average AI research intern" impressive, I'm not sure what to tell you. Have the goalposts moved so far that open ended problem solving at "average CS student fresh out of the uni" levels is suddenly trivial? Think of what AI was capable of in 2016. Or even 2022. Compare that to now. We had more AI progress in the last five years than I expected to happen in five decades.
    - Yoric 19d ago
      > "Destroying the ecosystem" is just FUD. Let's say it is. What about the rest of my paragraph? > And if you don't find "average AI research intern" impressive, I'm not sure what to tell you. Have the goalposts moved so far that open ended problem solving at "average CS student fresh out of the uni" levels is suddenly trivial? At this stage, I'm the one who doesn't know what to tell you. It took me years to grow from "research intern" into a competent researcher (and parallel years to turn into a competent developer). The research interns I've worked with were... vaguely useful, at best?
    - sfn42 19d ago
      The ecosystem absolutely is being destroyed. We're looking at anywhere from 3-5C warming by 2060, which is going to be devastating if not flat out apocalyptic. And wherever we're at in 2060 it's not like it's going to stop there, nor is it going to be comfortable until then. Things may start to crumble much sooner. I don't believe AI and data centers have played that much of a role in this though, we could have powered those without burning billions of tons of coal and gas etc, and im sure there's already a significant fraction of green energy powering then depending on location. Anyway we would have been roughly in the same spot right now with or without AI and some new data centers. The media just loves spinning the narrative to make the hordes of sheep scream about anything other than the real issues.
      - ACCount37 18d ago
        We're not even looking at 5C of warming by 2100 realistically. Like, that was considered to be an unlikely extreme scenario in 2014 AR5, and also in the tightened down 2021 AR6, and things have happened since! Renewables are cheaper than ever, and Ukrainian war and Iranian war both curbed the appetite for long term fossil fuel power investment. The median is what, a bit under 3C by 2100? Not even by 2060 - by 2100. And we're in 2026, so that's more than twice as slow as your expectation. Agreed on AI not being a meaningful factor in climate change though. We'd have to go full "humankind is obsolete" technological singularity to have AI dominate energy use to this extent, and current numbers are nowhere near that. It's a FUD distraction from the real culprits: the fossil fuel energy complex. That's currently lobbying to slow the inevitable energy transition.
  - 21asdffdsa12 19d ago
    Is this not what you wanted? You created a culture that dissolves responsibility by making it the worst thing to strife for - so everyone dissolves it, in processes, mass decisions and AI. Its the system, society, god, the great spirit. This is what you strove for, how can you be unhappy with things you demanded yourself?
    - Yoric 18d ago
      Who, me?

bix6 19d ago

Personally I’d like to see them actually start benefiting humanity by doing all the things Sam has claimed they will like curing disease, cancer, global warming, etc. But I guess a computer intern so we can avoid paying / training the next generation is better.

weatherlite 19d ago
Well there's great progress in automated warfare does that count?
- jonplackett 19d ago
  Only if targeting schools is progress
  - weatherlite 19d ago
    You're focusing on the negatives there were tons of direct hits on tankers that were absolutely beautiful. Beautiful tankers getting lit.
- bix6 19d ago
  Oof too real
- huurtehoog 12d ago
  And the outcome is a steadily worsening quagmire.
gatio 19d ago
> Personally I’d like to see them actually start benefiting humanity by doing all the things Sam has claimed they will like curing disease, cancer, global warming, etc. It makes more sense to leave curing disease & cancer to the experts, with tools (like AI) being developed by AI experts. Call me crazy, but I want separate organizations and experts for medical vs finance vs space vs climate vs AI research.
- 19d ago