Interview: Gaming Tycoon Chen Tianqiao on His $1 Billion Wager to Construct ‘Living’ AI

Chen Tianqiao, previously the richest man in China and a trailblazer within the digital economic system, now devotes a lot of his time to conversations with synthetic intelligence (AI), which he finds to be essentially the most intellectually stimulating companion outdoors of his spouse. His mates, although sensible, lack the time for such deep, sustained exchanges, so Chen’s engagement with AI marks his newest private {and professional} frontier [para. 1][para. 2]. Once the founding father of Shanda Interactive Entertainment, a gaming powerhouse listed on Nasdaq in 2004 that catapulted him to China’s richest particular person by age 32, Chen offered off his firm from 2011-2016. He then turned his fortune towards neuroscience and, extra lately, has turn into a major, generally contrarian, voice within the AI revolution. In 2023, he dedicated himself absolutely to AI, calling it “Year Zero,” a second he likens to the daybreak of a brand new period, and subsequently pledged $1 billion in computing energy to international AI analysis. He and his spouse’s institute, the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute, additionally launched the Spiking Intelligence Lab to develop brain-like AI fashions [para. 3][para. 4].

Chen’s view diverges sharply from the mainstream of at present’s AI growth. He contends that present AI applied sciences are basically restricted, adept solely at repackaging what’s already identified slightly than engendering true, dwelling intelligence able to discovery. Chen goals to create sentient AI, drawing on inspiration from the human mind to beat these shortcomings. He envisions this as a profound transformation with monumental implications for work, society, and the broader human function [para. 5].

Living a reclusive life in California, Chen not often provides interviews however lately shared his insights on AI’s trajectory. He is inquisitive about how society will adapt to AI, recognizing limitations in each human evolution—what he calls “the limits of carbon-based life”—and present machine intelligence. Chen argues that whereas AI could make sure human abilities out of date, humanity as an entire retains distinctive worth and function [para. 6][para. 7][para. 8][para. 9][para. 10][para. 11].

Chen’s scientific journey started with questioning free will and self-identity throughout his gaming days, which led to deep curiosity in mind science and neuroscience philanthropy. He believes people, whereas flawed attributable to evolutionary happenstance, can now evolve with AI’s assist. However, slightly than focusing solely on human substitute, he advocates for a symbiotic development [para. 12][para. 13][para. 14][para. 15].

Chen’s critique of Transformer-based AI architectures facilities round their inefficiency and incapacity to take care of steady, “alive” thought with out prompts. He highlights 5 core necessities for superior AI: neural dynamics, long-term reminiscence, causal reasoning, adaptable world fashions, and metacognition—qualities he believes are vital for making a sentient and repeatedly studying system. To this finish, his crew is engaged on options like EverMemOS for increasing AI reminiscence and exploring spiking neural networks, which mimic the pure operate of the human mind extra intently [para. 16][para. 17][para. 18][para. 19][para. 20][para. 21][para. 22][para. 23][para. 24].

He foresees nice inequality arising from AI augmentation and speedy obsolescence of human abilities however stays immune to doomsday eventualities. For Chen, discovery-driven AI—not mere generative or optimization-based fashions—ought to be the aim, to develop data slightly than merely reshuffling the identified [para. 25][para. 26][para. 27].

In funding, he signifies, expertise and computing energy have overtaken capital alone as the important thing drivers. The AI discipline, nonetheless younger in Chen’s estimation, hasn’t reached bubble standing and is already reshaping consumer conduct basically. His tasks are set for milestones by early 2026, significantly with spiking neural community fashions and superior causal reasoning engines like MiroMind outperforming international friends [para. 28][para. 29][para. 30][para. 31][para. 32][para. 33][para. 34][para. 35][para. 36].

Ultimately, Chen envisions a world race not for labor substitute, however for scientific discovery. He believes AI’s highest function lies in facilitating breakthroughs in domains resembling nuclear fusion or house exploration, serving as humanity’s subsequent leap ahead [para. 37][para. 38][para. 39].

AI generated, for reference solely