AI's New Divide: The Compute Currency

AI Compute: The New Currency Divide?

In 2024, OpenAI's Sam Altman prophesied that compute, the processing power and resources needed for AI training and inference, would become the currency of the future. As AI's influence expands, so does the concern that its distribution will divide the world into "haves" and "have-nots."

Large language model (LLM) giants often position AI development as a public good, yet the massive compute resources required to operate and train these models are largely controlled by a select few. This raises questions about the equitable distribution of AI's benefits and the potential for a new class system to emerge.

Since ChatGPT's launch in 2022, AI has transformed industries, from simplifying daily routines to enhancing experiences across sectors. Its financial and social value, particularly that of LLMs, can be viewed as a form of "public good." However, the limited opportunities for ordinary users to access or benefit from the technology beyond basic use cases ultimately reduce its overall impact.

Big Tech giants and corporations control AI's development and deployment, mirroring the historical rise of industrial monopolies. Microsoft's acquisition of nearly 500,000 Nvidia Hopper chips and a power plant to advance its cloud computing and AI initiatives exemplifies this trend. The concentration of power raises concerns about long-term implications for equitable access, echoing the monopolistic practices of the past.

To ensure AI serves as an equitable, democratizing force, society must address the imbalance in access to computational power. While Big Tech deserves a seat at the table, the future of AI is intertwined with the development of systems that fuel innovation across sectors. Inclusivity doesn't mean dismantling Big Tech's role in AI but ensuring that financial rewards generated by AI are distributed more equitably, creating opportunities for the broader society to participate and benefit fully.