Thread by @danfaggella

1/9 <-- Buckle up...

@Microsoft invests $1Billion into @OpenAI with the express purpose of building "Beneficial artificial general intelligence (#AGI)."

openai.com/blog/microsoft

Mark my words, here's what you can expect:

-- A number of Chinese initiatives of a similar overtly AGI-focused nature
-- Maybe one such similar initiative in Japan/EU (but with notably less funding and fanfare than those in #USA/#China)

(#Europe will try to compete w/regulation, not AGI itself - emerj.com/ai-power/regul…)

-- AGI players (there are VERY few- Microsoft, @Google, @Facebook, maybe @Baidu_Inc, Tencent) will pour more resources into the AGI race, and will mud-sling the dangers or "selfishness" of their rivals

In truth, all will be vying for power, by innovation or feigned virtue.

-- Big tech giants with no AGI efforts of their own will find smaller equivalents of OpenAI and partner with them, so as not to be left out of the AGI race
-- Cos that are behind in the #AGI race will heavily support AGI regulation–as it behooves them to take down @Google/@OpenAI

-- New #AIethics and AI governance groups will emerge with the express purpose of controlling the AGI that others create - but they will promote themselves to be safeguarding humanity

AI ethics will begin concerning itself w/"who should make/control AGI?" danfaggella.com/two-qs/

This @Microsoft investment is unique in that they are explicitly emphasizing #AGI as the goal (not something innocuous like "#AI research").

Google's acq. of @DeepMindAI was obvi for the same purpose, but the term AGI wasn't thrust forth as the main reason for the acquisition.

This is going to kick off an initially slow-moving shift that is REALLY about:
-- Who can birth and control the diety-level intelligence

But will be promoted to be about:
-- Who is really more virtuous and is building tech for the "greater good"

Thus it always is with #power.

100% mark my words on the bullet points in tweets 2/3/4 above. @johnchavens / @WendellWallach I suspect there will be a shift in the #AIethics world within 6 months to include control/guidance of AGI as a pivotal part of the convo again - you two may see this faster than most.

[[LAST tweet in this series, for now]]

Starting now, slowly but surely:
1 - #AIethics will shift from just privacy/bias/security to the trajectory of intelligence itself (danfaggella.com/the-grand-traj…)
2 - "AI race" convos will shift to be more about total power, not econ advantage