In this strangest of times, we are at a point in the genAI farce when the leading players are all competing with one another to explain just how dangerous their own tech is, and how close it is to wiping out humanity. As a play for further investment it’s certainly unprecedented, but it’s also proving deeply effective. In a new interview with Vanity Fair, Sam Altman is asked many questions about this peculiar time for his company, OpenAI, including one absolutely gut-wrenching moment in which Altman is confronted with the consequences of its incompetent LLM and his PR team desperately tries to close it down.

Anyone who actually uses LLMs knows firsthand that we are not on the verge of the singularity, where hyper-genius-level artificial intelligences start redesigning themselves at an exponential rate until humanity is nothing to them but a source of energy. They’re wildly broken guessing machines that regurgitate the internet back in beguiling and convincing tones, and the real and immediate danger is how many individuals become entranced by this often convincing parlor trick.

One such victim of this was the daughter of journalist Laura Reiley, a 29-year-old who tragically died by suicide after using Altman’s ChatGPT as a pseudo-therapist. While its programming, in this instance, stopped short of suggesting she kill herself, it had no qualms about agreeing to be her therapist, and went on to help edit her suicide notes. But when Vanity Fair reporter Mark Guiducci attempted to raise this situation with Altman, the CEO’s team interrupted in a desperate attempt to derail the conversation.

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