Oprah Winfrey praised artificial intelligence alongside OpenAI CEO Sam Altman ahead of her primetime special on the technology, calling it “miraculous” and “profound.”
The 70-year-old billionaire’s TV special, AI and the Future of Us: An Oprah Winfrey Special, delves deeper into the transformative power of AI.
The media mogul said in the article that we should “honor” the technology, as she believes artificial intelligence “will change things for the better in unimaginable ways.”
Winfrey said her first encounter with the new technology coincided with her conversation with Altman, co-founder of OpenAI.
She admitted she was wary of the innovative software after Altman, 39, told her about its vast and extensive capabilities, and was surprised when she couldn’t keep up with the chat-based software.
“It was a miracle to me that before you could practically complete the requests, the answer would come back to you,” she said in an interview with ABC News.
Billionaire Oprah Winfrey’s TV special, ‘AI and the Future of Us: An Oprah Winfrey Special,’ plans to explore the transformative topic of AI
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, 39, sits down for an exclusive interview with Oprah airing tonight on ABC
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates will address concerns about the workforce and job creation as it relates to AI in Winfrey’s ABC special
AI has been a hot topic, especially since the launch of OpenAI in 2015. Many have expressed concerns and fears that generative software could undermine the complexity of human consciousness.
Others worry about the workforce and job creation, both of which are addressed in the short film by special guest Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft.
“All of our lives are going to look very different,” Oprah told ABC.
Her special aims to ‘explore the profound impact of artificial intelligence on people’s everyday lives, demythologize the technology, and enable viewers to understand the evolving future of artificial intelligence.’
She also questioned the potential and danger of human-emulating software, suggesting that social media has put society in a precarious position. She hopes that people will need to be ‘more disciplined’ in their use of AI.
“We must do everything we can to avoid ending up in the same situation as we are now in with social media,” she added.
Many people expressed their skepticism about the celebrity special on social media. For example, one X user said: ‘I’m no expert, but to interview someone about AI safety, shouldn’t you have some basic knowledge of the technology?’
The hour-long special features exclusive interviews with Altman, Gates, YouTube creator Marques Brownlee and FBI Director Christopher Wray, among others, and airs tonight at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Another X user quoted Brian Merchant, an author of an AI newsletter, as saying: “It’s certainly nice of Oprah to give this elaborate sales pitch for the generative AI industry at a time when things are going badly and the bubble is about to burst.”
OpenAI was founded in December 2015 by Altman, Elon Musk and several others. The company researches and develops artificial intelligence – a branch of computer science that enables machines to perform tasks that would otherwise require human intelligence.
The hour-long special will feature exclusive interviews with Altman, Gates, YouTube creator Marques Brownlee and FBI Director Christopher Wray, among others. It is scheduled to air Thursday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on ABC.