'ChatGPT Father' Altman: "2025 Will Be an Amazing Year"

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, predicted that 2025 will be an "amazing year" for artificial intelligence (AI).

In an interview released on the 5th (local time) by Bloomberg Businessweek, Altman said, "We are continuing to make progress in technology, capabilities, and safety as we scale our models."

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, is having a conversation at the 'K-Startups meet OpenAI' event hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups on the 9th at 63 Square, Yeouido, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

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He cited the ChatGPT-4o3 model, released on the 20th of last month, as evidence that this year will be significant for AI. He said, "Our system scored 87.5% on the ARC AGI Challenge," adding, "It will provide very promising research and better models." The ARC AGI Challenge is a test that evaluates how close AI is to artificial general intelligence (AGI). The human level is 85%, and the o3 model surpassed this. It is the closest performance to AGI among existing models.

OpenAI is a global leader in the AGI research race. Altman defined AGI as "when it can do what a highly skilled human can do in important jobs." He also added, "When thinking about superintelligence, the important thing is whether it can rapidly accelerate the pace of scientific discovery on Earth."

Earlier, on the 4th, Altman posted a cryptic message on the social networking service X (formerly Twitter), saying, "I have always wanted to write a six-word story. Here it is," followed by "Near the singularity, uncertain if on this side or that side." This statement is interpreted to mean that AI technology is either on the verge of reaching the singularity or has already reached it. From an AI technology perspective, the singularity refers to the point when AGI appears and human civilization undergoes a completely different transformation from the present.

He also mentioned the status of in-house chip development. Altman said, "We have a great partnership with NVIDIA," adding, "I will talk more about it next year, but for now, we are scaling our chips."

As AI causes a surge in power consumption, concerns about the environment are growing. Altman pointed to nuclear fusion as a way to continue AI development without harming the environment in the short term. He said, "Nothing is better than quickly allowing fusion reactors." He continued, "There will soon be fusion experiments producing net energy. After that, we need to build systems that don’t break down, figure out how to scale, build factories, and get regulatory approval. All of this will take several years," but added, "I expect Helion (the clean fusion energy startup co-founded by Altman) to soon demonstrate that fusion works."

Regarding his personal donation of $1 million (approximately 1.4708 billion KRW) to the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, scheduled for the 20th, he dismissed concerns by saying, "He is the President of the United States. I support any president." He added, "I support the U.S. and will do my best to work for the national interest with any president," and said, "I think it is highly likely that AGI will be developed during Trump’s term, and it is really important to do it right."

About Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and a longtime rival, rising as a key figure in the Trump administration, Altman said, "He will continue to sue us, drop lawsuits, and file new ones. That’s just Elon being Elon," but drew a line by saying, "Would he abuse his political power or try to harass competitors? I don’t think so." Musk co-founded OpenAI with Altman in 2015 but parted ways in 2018. Since then, Musk founded xAI to develop independent AI and sued Altman, accusing him of abandoning the mission to develop AI for humanity’s benefit.

Regarding what the next Trump administration can do for AI in 2025, Altman said, "I agree with President-elect Trump on how difficult it has become to manufacture in the U.S. Everything, including power plants and data centers, is like that." He added, "I understand bureaucracy, but when you think about what is needed for the U.S. to lead AI, it doesn’t help. The U.S. must lead AI."

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