What is the turning point in the history of artificial intelligence that finally forces skeptics to admit that AI is completely real?
This is what’s happening with Citadel CEO Ken Griffin. He used to be an AI skeptic, calling artificial intelligence-related advances “impressive” on a shallow level, but “garbage” on a deeper level.
In a recent discussion with Stanford Business School professors, Griffin offered a very different take on the rapid evolution and efficiency of AI tools.
Citadel’s CEO said he went home “pretty depressed” after seeing Citadel’s AI agents working so efficiently. Previously, the same type of work would take a team of finance PhDs months or weeks to complete.
With the advent of AI, “work can now be done by AI agents over hours or days,” Griffin says.
He added: “These are not mid-level white-collar jobs. These are highly skilled jobs that are being automated by agent AI.”
Griffin said AI is “much more powerful” than it was nine months ago, allowing hedge funds to use the technology for several purposes.
A stark warning about the “dramatic impact that AI will have on society” comes from the head of one of the most successful hedge funds, who is concerned about how machines will replace highly skilled people earning seven-figure incomes evaluating financial markets. Unfortunately, something similar is happening at my workplace.
“Career success depends on whether you become a lifelong learner, and AI will make that increasingly important,” Griffin said.
In response to Ken Griffin’s harsh perspective on AI, Elon Musk also raised questions about the future of AI in the coming years.
SpaceX’s CEO turned to X and asked, “What will AI be like in one, two, three years?”
In response to this question, netizens also expressed their views on the speech as technology evolves.
One user wrote, “We would be happier if there was no AI at all. Life was good before AI and we’ll be fine without it. Too much technology will be our downfall.”
Another commented: “Jeffrey Hinton had a vision before the world could imagine it.”
Some people took an optimistic view, saying, “The cost of everything will become cheaper as the labor force for production is replaced by AI. Humans can enjoy the benefits while AI does all the work. It’s a win-win.”
Recently, the increasing efficiency of agent-based AI systems has raised concerns among technology industry leaders and employees who are wary of AI’s disruptive impact on the labor market. This is even more evident when you look at the fact that most companies like Meta, BlackRock, etc. are laying off employees for implementing AI tools.
