John Carmack created the start-up Keen Technologies to work on Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), a form of AI that should allow any task that can be performed by a human. Will reality surpass fiction?
After distinguishing himself in the video game industry, John Carmack wants to strike a blow in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). In this sense, the famous American programmer, who developed graphics engines and video games like Wolfenstein 3D, Doom or Quake within the company id Software, has created a start-up called Keen Technologies, to study the field of possibilities in Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), a form of AI which should enable any task that can be performed by a human.
If John Carmack’s approach comes to fruition, it would go well beyond existing forms of artificial intelligence, which rely heavily on machine learning. Currently, deployed AIs train on datasets that allow them to learn tasks and correct errors over time. But as technologies progress, the fantasy of a “human” AI seems less and less illusory. In the spring, a Google engineer had embarrassed the giant by claiming that an AI, on which he was working, had become “sensitive” and capable of feelings comparable to those of a human child.
20 million dollars to get the project off the ground
The progress made in recent years in artificial intelligence and the emergence of new algorithmic techniques lead John Carmack to believe that the barriers between artificial intelligence and human intelligence will considerably reduce over the next decade. In this context, he is optimistic about his chances of making AGI a reality, unlike key figures in the sector such as Frenchman Yann LeCun, chief scientist of AI at Meta and considered one of the pioneers from deep learning. Ironically, John Carmack also works at Meta, which he advises on its work on virtual reality within the Oculus division.
Despite the doubts of some about the AGI, John Carmack succeeded in convincing investors to finance his project. His start-up Keen Technologies raised $20 million this month in a round that includes former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman, Stripe boss Patrick Collison, CEO of Shopify, Tobi Lütke, or even the famous American fund Sequoia. “I could write a check for $20 million myself, but knowing that other people’s money is at stake breeds a greater sense of discipline and determination”, John Carmack said on Twitter when the operation was announced. It remains to be seen whether it will do as well in artificial intelligence as in the video game industry…