Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, claims he’s had enlightening chats with President Trump about artificial intelligence. Yes, you read that correctly: Trump, the man who once said he had “the best words,” now apparently also has the best understanding of AI. Altman assures us the President grasps the geopolitical and economic weight of AI, crediting him with a visionary leadership role. Given Trump’s nuanced grasp of complex subjects—remember his profound musings on nuclear policy?—one might question if Altman’s statement is a testament to the power of positive thinking.
During a lively chinwag in San Francisco, Altman and OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap discussed AI’s impact on employment, the talent tug-of-war with tech titan Mark Zuckerberg, and those pesky regulatory and safety concerns. One can only marvel at how swiftly AI’s ethical dilemmas have been condensed into soundbites, while genuine discussion is as elusive as a balanced federal budget.
Meanwhile, The New York Times is in a legal scuffle with OpenAI and Microsoft, accusing them of copyright infringement. In a world where copyright claims are as common as empty political promises, this clash is another episode in the tech industry’s version of “Game of Thrones,” where the throne is made of data, and the battles are fought with lawsuits.
On the topic of Trump, Altman seems keen on building bridges—or perhaps launching space elevators—between his company and the administration. On the day after Trump’s inauguration, Altman was strategically positioned behind the President as he unveiled the $100 billion Stargate project, a venture backed by OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle. Trump proclaimed it the largest AI infrastructure project in history, presumably after verifying it wasn’t a Mexican-funded wall in disguise.
For those keeping score at home, Stargate represents another chapter in the long, illustrious history of grandiose government projects with questionable returns on investment. As the ink dries on this massive deal, one can only hope the project achieves more than the bullet train to nowhere or the bridge to an uninhabited island. But hey, at least the taxpayers are getting their money’s worth in press conferences—if not in tangible results.
In conclusion—oh wait, I promised no conclusions. Just remember, in the world of AI and politics, the only certainty is uncertainty. Or maybe that’s just the latest upgrade in AI’s predictive algorithms. Either way, stay skeptical.
