wow. what if Google + TPUs were to wipe out openAI + GPUs and all the circular financing? that would truly be an epic plot twist. and i wouldn’t bet against it, especially given how precarious OpenAI’s finances appear to be.

The AI world has changed dramatically over the last few months. People like Altman used to dismiss me, and my skepticism, and get away with it. That dodge is no longer flying. A new @Wired essay by @stevenlevy in which he confronts Altman makes that vivid: “GPT-5 was the most hyped AI system of all time,” full-time bubble-popper Gary Marcus told me . “It was supposed to deliver two things, AGI and PhD-level cognition, and it didn't deliver either of those. What’s more, he says, the seemingly lackluster new model is proof that OpenAI’s ticket to AGI—massively scaling up data and chip sets to make its systems exponentially smarter—can no longer be punched. For once, Marcus’ views were echoed by a sizable portion of the AI community” [emphasis added] When Levy asks this, Altman tries to duck, using his old rhetorical trick of trying to paint me as an isolated critic. But this time Levy pushes back: he notes that my views are gaining traction, precisely because Altman has not delivered what he promised. Altman’s reply to Levy, when Levy points this out, is almost comically weak “Well, it’s not only Gary, I say. Altman straightens up in his chair. “What I can tell you with confidence is GPT-6 will be significantly better than GPT-5, and GPT-7 will be significantly better than GPT-6. And we have a pretty good track record on these.” More promises, as ever — but little of intellectual substance. The tide is changing; skepticism is rising.