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It wasn’t until after meeting one of the most important people in artificial intelligence that Oprah Winfrey used the tech for the first time — but now she says she’s optimistic over its potential.
In an interview with the Washington Post (AMZN), the talk show host said she’s excited for what AI will mean for education and medicine. This all comes ahead of her televised interview with OpenAI chief executive, Sam Altman, which airs on Thursday.
“I’m excited that every child will be able to have their own personal tutor that understands them and works at their pace, and that they can feel seen and validated,” Winfrey said.
In the medical field, Winfrey said she sees an opportunity for AI to help doctors make more time to connect with patients.
“All my friends in the medical field have complained for years about how so much of being a physician is clerical,” Winfrey said, referring to filling out forms, paperwork, and insurance. “So being able to actually spend time and give attention to your patients, touch them and be with them and actually see them is going to change so much.”
Despite seeing “positives” with the technology, Winfrey said she is also concerned about how it can be used to scam people, and said people will “have to develop a suspicion muscle,” about whether what they are seeing is real, and question where it is coming from.
“I just know that that’s no way to live,” Winfrey said. “I mean, there’s no peace in suspicion.”
Winfrey also said she doesn’t have much faith in lawmakers to regulate AI “until it’s too late.” However, she said she hopes her interview with Altman “will be an alert.”
The interview is part of an ABC (DIS) television special called “AI and the Future of Us,” which will feature interviews with other experts including Bill Gates and FBI director Christopher Wray. You can tune in Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.
