The Man Behind the World’s Most Coveted Microchip

Jensen Huang is something of an enigma. The NVIDIA CEO doesn’t have social media and, until recently, rarely gave interviews. Yet he may be the most important person in AI.

Under his leadership, NVIDIA has become a goliath. Somewhere between 80 and 90 per cent of AI tools run on NVIDIA hardware, making it the world’s most valuable company. But unlike his contemporaries, Huang has been remarkably quiet about the technology – and the world – he’s building.

In his new book, The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, NVIDIA, and the World’s Most Coveted Microchip, journalist Stephen Witt pulls back the curtain. And what he finds is, at times, shocking: Huang believes there is zero risk in developing superintelligence.

So who is Jensen Huang? And should we worry that the most powerful person in AI is racing forward at breakneck speed, blind to the potential consequences?

Mentioned:

The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, NVIDIA, and the World’s Most Coveted Microchip, by Stephen Witt

How Jensen Huang’s Nvidia Is Powering the A.I. Revolution, by Stephen Witt (The New Yorker)

The A.I. Prompt That Could End the World, by Stephen Witt (New York Times)

Machines Like Us is produced by Mitchell Stuart. Our theme song is by Chris Kelly. Video editing by Emily Graves. Our executive producer is James Milward. Special thanks to Angela Pacienza and the team at The Globe and Mail.

Media sourced from the BBC.

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