"AI To Surpass Cognitive Capabilities Of Most Humans": Anthropic CEO's Claim

Dario Amodei, chief executive of the US artificial intelligence company Anthropic, told delegates at India's AI Impact Summit that the world is approaching a transformative moment in which AI systems will surpass most humans in most cognitive tasks, creating unprecedented opportunities to tackle disease and poverty but also raising serious risks of misuse and economic disruption.

Speaking at the Bharat Mandapam convention centre in New Delhi, Amodei described the rapid progress in AI capabilities as following an exponential curve over the past decade, comparable to a "Moore's law for intelligence". 

"The energy and ambition in this room and across India are incredible. I've been spending the last few days meeting with Indian builders and enterprises, and the energy to build together here is palpable, unlike anywhere else," Amodei said. 

He said society was now well advanced along that trajectory and that only a small number of years remained before AI models exceeded the cognitive abilities of most humans across most domains

"There are only a small number of years for AI models to surpass the cognitive capabilities of most humans for most things. We're increasingly close to what I've called a country of geniuses in a data centre, a set of AI agents that are more capable than most humans at most things and    can coordinate at superhuman speed," he said. 

Such a development, he said, was without historical precedent and carried profound implications for both opportunity and risk. On the positive side, Amodei highlighted the potential for AI to cure diseases that have remained intractable for thousands of years, dramatically improving human health.

"We have the potential to cure diseases that have been incurable for thousands of years to radically improve human health and to lift billions out of poverty, including the global South, and create a better world for everyone," Amodei said. 

As evidence of Anthropic's commitment to India, he announced that the company had opened an office in Bengaluru this week and appointed Irena Ghose, who has spent three decades building businesses in India, as managing director for Anthropic India. He also confirmed new partnerships with major Indian enterprises, including Infosys.