AI is coming for all jobs, including scientists and doctors, according to this latest report.
Sam Altman and other prominent AI figures have been talking about agentic AI in recent months. Fears are swirling about the imminent emergence of so-called artificial super intelligence that could wreak havoc on job markets in the coming years, or even months if the biggest hypes are to be believed- men. Perhaps the biggest fear is that governments and society in general are not yet prepared to deal with the potential consequences.
A new report from Axios suggests that the eventual (inevitable?) reality above might be closer than some think.
Closely following the likes of Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and the CEO of Salesforce outlining plans to cut hiring to replace staff with AI, Axios suggests that OpenAI has made significant inroads with its agentic AI program. Agentic AI refers to specialized rather than generalized AI agents designed for very specific, tailored tasks. Due to hallucinations and errors, this has so far been a problem for anything other than low-stakes jobs, but that could be about to change.
The report states that Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, is set to unveil “PhD-level” artificial intelligence agents in a closed-door session with the US government on January 30, 2025. If the protocols of artificial intelligence become intelligent and creative enough to be able to use their own work – as one would hope a human with a PhD would be able to do – they could be placed in much more responsible and critical roles than they are are currently.
The outlet’s sources suggest staff are “dazzled and frightened” by recent progress in private conversations with friends, relayed to Axios journalists. The report doesn’t specify exactly what is being achieved, but it probably won’t be long before OpenAI reveals it to the world anyway.
Microsoft is in the race to integrate super agentic AI
It’s sometimes difficult to separate hype from facts when it comes to reports about OpenAI, but assuming the above is true, we could be on the brink of some pretty significant social upheaval over the next few years.
Microsoft and other companies are rushing to integrate super-agentic artificial intelligence, with the idea that these AIs could replace very expensive and often time-consuming tasks that, at present, often require human teams . Microsoft Azure already offers agentic AI to businesses, but their capabilities are quite limited with current models, relegated to replacing customer support and the like. Frankly, today’s AI has been generally horrible at many of the tasks it has been integrated into.
For example, today, Microsoft Copilot integrated with Microsoft Excel can offer advice on how to improve your spreadsheet. In the future, you should be able to simply ask Copilot to create a very functional spreadsheet for you for any type of complex task. Extrapolate this further towards creating entire software suites tailored exactly to you, perhaps even modifying the Windows shell, or even Xbox games on the fly. The ability to ask Copilot to do something like: “Generate me a Minecraft map that works like a terrifying survival horror game,” for example, it is a reality that is not so distant. Our own sources suggest that Microsoft is exploring how large language models can be used to replace the entire 3D graphics pipeline. For example, AI would “imagine” a game like Skyrim on your screen, reacting to your commands, saving you from having to install the game. This could eliminate latency issues common with current iterations of cloud gaming, or at least transfer some of the video encoding to local NPU computing to produce a more “native” feel.
Regardless, elected officials are known for their technological illiteracy and lack the efficiency and knowledge to properly deal with the social upheavals that will likely result from this type of technology. There are mountains of money to be made for any shareholder (government insider or not…) who invests in the right companies in this race, but there is potential disaster on the other side if social contingencies do not are not taken into account. Technological advances could be rapid and lead us to a utopia, but the potential for AI to harm the vulnerable is also palpable. Our current global economic system currently operates on the idea of human labor and human intervention. What happens when there is no work? Maybe we’ll find out soon.
Moreover, no AI was used in the writing of this article.