Executives from leading artificial intelligence labs, including OpenAI, Cohere, Google’s DeepMind, and major tech companies like Microsoft and Salesforce, gathered at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to discuss the potential arrival of artificial general intelligence (AGI) comparable to or surpassing human intelligence in the near future.

The conversation explored the risks and opportunities associated with AI, addressing concerns related to transparency, job displacement, social manipulation, surveillance, and data privacy.

OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, expressed the belief that AGI might be developed in the “reasonably close-ish future” but downplayed fears of dramatic disruption, asserting that its impact on the world and jobs may be less than anticipated.

Altman acknowledged concerns about the downsides of super-intelligent AI, emphasizing the need for caution and expressing fears about its potential use in large-scale disinformation and offensive cyberattacks.

The discussion also touched upon the internal challenges faced by AI labs as they approach AGI. Altman, who was temporarily removed from OpenAI in November, described his ouster as a “microcosm” of the escalating tensions and stakes faced by AI labs as AGI becomes closer to reality.