In the lead-up to the recently concluded U.S. presidential election, Elon Musk, the celebrity tech billionaire and the world’s’ richest man, officially endorsed Donald Trump. While Musk was full of praise for the former president, Grok, the AI chatbot he owns, had a starkly different perspective. When asked about Trump, it described him as “a convicted felon, conman, rapist, pedophile, fraudster, pathological liar, and wannabe dictator.” Ouch!
While Grok is Mr. Musk’s creation, it certainly has a mind of its own. The tech wizard was visibly embarrassed. While many in Musk’s orbit have championed AI as a transformative technology, an indisputable truth, they seem to have ignored a crucial reality: the very technology we champion can swiftly morph into a disruptive force, slipping beyond the creator’s grasp and control.
Despite everything, it is undeniable that Musk’s unique blend of financial clout and tech innovation enabled him to effectively rally support for Trump, an effort that many argue significantly contributed to the latter’s return to the White House. Just a few years ago, Musk was simply another ambitious Stanford graduate trying to break into the tech world. Fast forward to today, and he stands as the wealthiest individual on the planet, surpassing the next richest person on Forbes’ list by over $100 billion.
Unless you’re a technophile or involved in trading stocks, chances are you probably have not heard of the trillion-dollar Silicon Valley company that has taken the world by storm. NVIDIA’s valuation currently surpasses the GDP of many countries like Spain, Russia, South Korea, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia.
If NVIDIA were to be a country, it would be the world’s sixth-largest economy after India. Thanks to the boundless potential of AI, this company, founded by a Taiwanese-American, is on the brink of becoming the most valuable company in the world.
Founded in 1993, NVIDIA initially focused on developing graphics processing units (GPUs) for gaming and multimedia applications. The company made a landmark innovation in 1999 with the release of the GeForce 256, the world’s first GPU, which not only revolutionized 3D graphics in gaming but became the dominant technology that supports artificial intelligence (AI).
NVIDIA’s chips are ubiquitous, and it became the company of companies. Its GPUs are integral to AI research and deep learning. The company’s strategic pivot into AI and data centers allowed it to gain a significant edge over traditional semiconductor firms, including Intel, which had long dominated the CPU market. In the 2024 fiscal year alone, its revenues exceeded $60 billion. Its GPUs are the chips at the heart of Elon Musk’s humongous xAI data center in Memphis, Tennessee, called Colossus, and the power behind ChatGPT, to mention but a few.
If you believe you haven’t encountered the immense power of AI, think again. You’ve likely interacted with ChatGPT, Siri, Alexa, or similar applications. The AI revolution is rapidly redefining the way we live and interact with others, revolutionizing health care, finance, entertainment, and manufacturing, and proving that its transformative impact is both inevitable and far-reaching.
By harnessing the power of machine learning and vast data processing, AI systems are now capable of tasks once considered impossible for machines, such as real-time language translation, image recognition, and autonomous driving. The rapid advances in AI have enabled automation, improved efficiency, and fostered innovation across sectors, opening new possibilities for personalized services, smarter decision-making, and accelerated problem-solving.
As AI research and development continue in data labs worldwide, a recent breakthrough has emerged in the equally transformative field of quantum computing. Quantum computers leverage the principles of quantum mechanics, the branch of physics concerned with the behavior of subatomic particles like atoms and photons. Unlike traditional computers that rely on bits (which represent either 0 or 1), quantum computers use quantum bits or “qubits,” which can represent both 0 and 1 simultaneously due to a phenomenon called superposition.
This capability allows quantum computers to perform numerous calculations at once, potentially making them far more powerful than conventional computers for specific tasks. The potential applications are mind-boggling. Google’s new quantum chip, named Willow, marks a significant step towards developing a practical, large-scale quantum computer.
With quantum computing, we can achieve accurate climate pattern predictions and extreme weather forecasting, crucial for disaster preparedness and climate change mitigation. In health care, quantum algorithms can rapidly analyze vast datasets, offering insights into disease progression and treatment efficacy. Additionally, quantum computing can revolutionize material science, enabling quicker predictions of material properties, chemical reactions, and the design of new drugs.
The greatest challenge in this new era of AI and quantum computers lies in the absence of a unified framework to safeguard humanity from its potentially catastrophic risks, especially when wielded by malicious actors. Imagine a future where AI systems autonomously generate their own code, with some creations possessing the potential to unleash apocalyptic outcomes. The stakes are immense, and the urgency to establish robust safeguards has never been more critical.
The world’s major powers, led by the U.S. and China, are in fierce competition for AI supremacy, with the former holding a razor-thin edge and the latter making enormous investments in the field. Industry watchers believe it is only a matter of time before China surpasses the U.S. and takes the lead.
The competition between the U.S. and China for AI supremacy underscores the urgency of establishing comprehensive global regulations to mitigate the risks AI poses to humanity. As both nations invest heavily in AI, there is a growing need for frameworks that ensure the technology is developed responsibly, with ethical considerations at the forefront.
Osmund Agbo is a pulmonary physician.
