In a recent podcast interview with Motley Fool, Jeremy Kahn, the AI editor at Fortune Magazine and author of the book “Mastering AI: A Survival Guide to our Superpowered Future,” delved into the current state of the AI landscape. Kahn, a former tech reporter, shared insights on various topics, including Bill Gates’ initial skepticism towards investing in OpenAI, the advancements in biotech, and the future of AI.

During the interview, Kahn revealed that his first encounter with the term “artificial intelligence” was in 2015 when he covered a story about DeepMind, a London-based tech company that was acquired by Google for $650 million. This sparked his interest in AI, and he began covering the topic extensively when he joined Bloomberg as a tech reporter in 2016.

Kahn expressed surprise at the viral reaction to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, a language model that allows users to interact with AI. He noted that the simplicity of the interface and the model’s availability for anyone to use played a significant role in its popularity. Additionally, Kahn shared an intriguing story about Bill Gates’ skepticism towards large language models and how OpenAI’s GPT-4, trained on AP biology questions from Khan Academy, convinced Gates of their potential.

The interview also touched upon the AI arms race among tech giants. Kahn highlighted Microsoft, Google, and Meta (formerly Facebook) as the frontrunners, with Apple and Amazon striving to catch up. He mentioned the development of powerful AI models like Gemini from Google, Llama from Meta, and Claude from Anthropic (an Amazon-aligned company). These models, which are multi-modal and capable of reasoning and engaging in natural conversations, are driving the competition.

Regarding Apple’s AI platform, Kahn acknowledged that the company was initially slower in rolling out AI but has made strides through its partnership with OpenAI. He emphasized Apple’s vast distribution channel as a potential advantage in the AI race.