Sam Altman warns AI could threaten the 2024 ELECTION with sophisticated troll farms – as he reveals his dramatic firing from OpenAI and re-hiring four days later was ‘painful and exhausting’

Artificial intelligence guru Sam Altman has warned that the technology could be used to sway Americans’ votes in the 2024 election.

OpenAI founder Altman, who was fired in spectacular fashion last month and then reinstated as OpenAI CEO, fears the technology could be used to scan voters’ past social media posts.

He fears they could then be targeted with a highly emotional message imploring them to vote for a particular candidate – all at the behest of the machine.

The tycoon, whose firm is behind ChatGPT, says he believes AI “will be the most powerful technology humanity has ever invented.”

On November 17, Altman was abruptly fired by the OpenAI board of directors and was rehired on November 21.

He said that the experience was “painful and exhausting” and he hasn’t had time to process what happened yet, but he is “glad to get back to work.”

“I think everyone involved in this process, as we get closer and closer to superintelligence, everyone involved is feeling more and more stressed as the stakes get higher,” he said, trying to explain the dramatic events.

“And I think everything blew up.”

But, he warned, it would create powerful tools for those who want to influence elections using far more sophisticated methods than are currently available.

Altman, 38, told the audience at the Time magazine gala in New York, where he was named CEO of the Year, that the prospect is “pretty challenging.”

He warned that troll farms in foreign countries were “trying to intervene without elections.”

“They make one great meme and it goes viral and we all see the same thing on Facebook or Twitter. This will continue and improve.

“But my biggest concern is: What if an AI reads everything you’ve ever written on the internet—every tweet, every article, everything?” And at the right moment, it sends you one message, customized specifically for you, which truly changes the way you view the world.

“This is a new type of intervention that was simply not possible before AI.”

The St. Louis-born tech entrepreneur, speaking to Time editor-in-chief Sam Jacobs, insisted he is optimistic about the potential of AI, presenting an overall sunny picture of medical advances and expanding access to learning.

“I think we will see education forever changed and improved,” he said. “I think kids in kindergarten today, when they reach 12th grade, will be smarter and better prepared than the best kids today.”

Altman said the OpenAI team was working “to build tools that are useful to people” – and that they recognize they have a huge responsibility.

Critics fear a nightmare scenario in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, in which intelligent machines decide to exterminate their creators and take over the world, turning it into an apocalyptic hell.

“If we can create an abundance of intelligence for the world and an abundance of energy, then our ability to generate amazing ideas for our children so they can learn for themselves, for healthcare, for people to be more productive, to boost the economy so people can help themselves … then if we put those things into action with energy, they become two huge, huge things,” he said.

“Now they have their disadvantages. And so it’s up to us to figure out how to make it safe and get it into people’s hands responsibly.

“But I think we are now seeing a path where the world is becoming much richer and better every year, and people are able to do much more than we can imagine today.”

Altman said he understands there are many skeptics and many people who are wary of the vast capabilities of AI.

They include Elon Musk, who co-founded OpenAI with Altman before leaving the company in 2018 and becoming one of its harshest critics. Musk argues that artificial intelligence is becoming too powerful and does not have enough restrictions.

Altman said Tuesday that he is “very grateful that Elon exists in the world,” adding, “I think he’s done some amazing things.”

He also praised Musk’s work in electric vehicles and space exploration and said his criticism of Microsoft’s control of OpenAI (Microsoft has invested $13 billion in the company) was unfair and inaccurate.

The San Francisco-based CEO said he still believes he and his team are developing something useful for humanity.

“I think in 2023 we started to see that; We’ll see a lot more in 2024; and by the end of the decade, I think we will be in a much better position,” he said.

“It sounds silly and sci-fi optimistic. But if you think about how different the world will be. Today they have ChatGPT – it’s not very good.

“Then they have the best chief of staff in the world. And after that, each person has a company of 20-50 experts who work well together, and after that 10,000 experts in each field.

“If someone wants to focus on curing diseases, they can do that, or create art, they can do that.”

Speaking about his abrupt dismissal before being rehired at OpenAI, Altman said he should should be viewed in the context of a “crazy year,” noting that ChatGPT was released just a year ago and the company’s profile and reach have skyrocketed.

And he said he thinks the layoff-and-rehire drama will be good for the company in the long run.

“It was extremely painful for me personally, but I think it was great for OpenAI,” he said.

“We have never been more united. We have never been more determined and focused.

“And we have always said that this moment will come when we create AGI. We didn’t think it would happen so soon.

“But we are stronger for having survived this.

“I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy, but it has had a positive impact on the company.”

He said he was very proud of how his staff responded and continued to work despite the turmoil.

But he admitted it was intense and grueling.