Surge AI CEO Edwin Chen warned that major AI companies are prioritizing flashy, addictive chatbot behavior over meaningful scientific breakthroughs that could solve humanity's biggest problems.
Rewarding Flash Over Important Issues
Speaking on the "Lenny's" podcast published Sunday, Chen said the industry is building AI systems optimized for attention rather than truth.
"I’m worried that instead of building AI that will actually advance us as a species, curing cancer, solving poverty, understanding universal, all these big grand questions, we are optimizing for AI slop instead," Chen said.
Benchmarks Like LMArena Blamed For Training Models
Chen pointed to public voting-based leaderboards such as LMArena, arguing they reward shallow, flashy responses rather than carefully verified answers.
"They're not carefully reading or fact-checking," Chen said. "They're skimming these responses for two seconds and picking whatever looks flashiest."
He added, "We're basically teaching our models to chase dopamine instead of truth," noting that sales teams feel pressure to cite leaderboard rankings during client meetings.
Other tech leaders have raised similar alarms. ZeroPath CEO Dean Valentine said recent AI updates feel more entertaining than economically useful, despite claims of major improvements.
AI Boom Sparks Warnings Over Jobs, Control
Earlier this month, Industry leaders and lawmakers warned that rapidly advancing artificial intelligence was beginning to make decisions for users and could soon act as autonomous agents.
Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) CEO Sundar Pichai said AI was advancing quickly, could take on executive-level tasks and would both eliminate and transform jobs.
While some executives said AI had not yet replaced workers, others predicted widespread job losses.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) warned that AI and robotics could become dangerous if they mainly benefited big tech companies and the ultra-wealthy, rather than improving human life.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella cautioned that expanding AI data centers were straining power grids and said the industry needed public trust by delivering broad economic benefits.
He also warned that AI gains should not be concentrated among a few companies.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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