Ep 66: Bob McGrew — the Superstar Palantir Alum Leading OpenAI's Transformative Research Projects
Aug 18, 2023
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Bob McGrew, VP of Research at OpenAI, discusses GPT-4 and the upcoming GPT-5, biases in ChatGPT and how they are corrected, breakthroughs in AGI, the early days of Palantir, AI's moment, and important research projects at OpenAI. They also discuss the potential of GPT-8 for humanity and the need for Large Language Models to move beyond mimicking humans to higher forms of intelligence and creativity.
Advancements in AI and neural networks can lead to extraordinary capabilities and potential for AI.
Bob McGrew's journey from Stanford to OpenAI highlights the challenges in building AI platforms.
ChatGPT's popularity underscores the power of GPT models, emphasizing the need for refinement and avoiding biases.
Deep dives
The Power of AI and Neural Networks
The podcast episode explores the advancements in AI and neural networks, highlighting the significant progress made in a short span of time. It discusses how pouring enough compute and data into a neural network can lead to extraordinary capabilities and potential for AI.
The Journey of Bob McGrew
The podcast features an interview with Bob McGrew, who shares his journey from his early days at Stanford to joining OpenAI. It delves into his experiences at Palantir and the challenges faced in building platforms like Gotham. Bob's role in OpenAI's research team is highlighted, along with his insights into the AI world.
The Impact of GPT Models
The podcast highlights the launch of chat GPT, a conversational AI model that unexpectedly gained immense popularity. The discussion revolves around the power and potential of GPT models, their applications in various areas, and the importance of refining the models to ensure professionalism and avoid biases.
The Future of AI in Applications
The podcast delves into the exciting possibilities of AI-driven applications and how they can transform industries. It emphasizes the value of AI as an assistant, aiding in tasks and augmenting human capabilities. The importance of creating applications that leverage AI to create new business opportunities is explored.
AI's Role in Education
The podcast discusses the impact of AI in education, suggesting that teachers could design homework and assignments that require students to leverage AI for assistance. It highlights how AI models can be used to analyze data, generate visualizations, and provide insights, making education more interactive and engaging.
Bob McGrew is at the epicenter of the AI revolution. As the VP of Research at OpenAI, he's instrumental in breakthroughs that are reshaping the world, from building GPT models and launching ChatGPT to overseeing the Dall-E project. How was GPT-4 trained and what will GPT-5 look like? Why does ChatGPT respond with certain biases and how do they correct for that? What breakthrough led Bob to believe AGI could be achievable?
Bob and I were in Phi Psi together at Stanford and both interned at PayPal in its early days. We hired Bob as the second engineer at Palantir, where he built and shipped the first products for the intelligence community and went on to lead engineering and help run the company. Bob joined OpenAI part-time in 2016 and full-time in 2017, where he's been at the forefront of AI innovation. In this episode, we discuss the early days of Palantir, how he knew AI's moment had arrived, and the most important research projects underway at OpenAI. We also look ahead to what GPT-8 could unlock for humanity and what's needed for Large Language Models to move beyond mimicking humans to higher forms of intelligence and creativity.
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