OpenAI x Superintelligence

PLUS: Hugging Face Unveils Smolagents

Author

Barsee
06 Jan

Together with

Howdy! It’s Barsee again.

Happy Monday, AI family, and welcome back to AI Valley.

In today’s edition:

  • OpenAI Moves Beyond AGI Toward Superintelligence

  • Hugging Face Unveils Smolagents

  • Plus trending AI Tools, Posts, and Resources

Ready, set, go…

SUPERINTELLIGENCE

OpenAI Moves Beyond AGI Toward Superintelligence

In a recent blog post, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, announced a bold new direction: the company is shifting its focus from Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) to the pursuit of "superintelligence."

Here's what you need to know:

  • Altman believes that these advanced AI systems will accelerate scientific discovery and innovation at an unprecedented pace, far surpassing human capabilities and fostering societal wealth and prosperity.

  • He hinted that AI-powered agents could soon join the workforce, significantly boosting productivity, potentially as early as this year.

  • Despite this vision, AI still faces significant challenges, including "hallucinations" (AI errors), mistakes, and the high cost of operations. However, Altman is optimistic about overcoming these hurdles.

  • With multiple departures from safety-focused teams, the question of "how to safely control superintelligent systems" remains unresolved. The recent departure of key figures, including those leading AI ethics teams, raises red flags about the path OpenAI is taking.

Why it matters:

OpenAI's move towards superintelligence could drastically change industries, potentially accelerating progress far beyond current human capabilities. Labor markets, job displacement, and societal structures will likely undergo significant changes, but it also raises critical concerns about safety and control that need to be addressed.

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SIDE UPDATES

CES 2025 kicks off this Tuesday, and it’s bringing some seriously exciting new tech to the table. Samsung’s 2025 smart TVs come with real-time translation, and the upgraded Samsung Food app helps you discover new recipes. Keynotes from industry leaders like NVIDIA, Sony, and Waymo are expected to drop some big news.

Elon Musk recently revealed on the X that Grok 3 is finally set to launch soon. Originally expected last year, this AI model now has 10x the computational power of its predecessor, Grok 2. While Musk didn’t spill the beans on its exact uses or performance, the news has definitely got people talking.

By 2026, GAC will roll out GoMate, a humanoid robot designed for car assembly lines. This robot has 38 degrees of freedom and hands that are flexible enough to do delicate tasks. It can even climb stairs and is super energy-efficient, using solid-state batteries that save up to 80% of the energy a regular robot would use. BMW’s already doing something similar, so this is a trend we’ll see more of in the future.

Microsoft just announced a bold $80 billion investment for AI in FY 2025. This plan focuses on building out AI-powered data centers and supporting global AI projects, especially in the U.S. A big chunk of this investment will go toward training 2.5 million Americans in AI skills. With Meta, Google, and Amazon all ramping up their AI investments, it’s clear that the competition in AI is about to get intense.

Timekettle has introduced the W4 Pro earbuds at CES 2025, and they’re a game changer for real-time translation. These earbuds can translate phone and video calls between 40 languages in just 3-5 seconds. The translations are natural, the audio is louder, and you still hear the original voice, meaning real-time communication just got way easier.

TRENDING TOOLS

  • Habits > A simple habit tracker for 2025. No sign-up is needed. (link)

  • Stanford Storm > Get a Wikipedia-like report on your topic with AI. (link)

  • Scourhead > A free, open-source AI agent that scours the web, organizes data, and presents results in a spreadsheet. (link)

  • Simple AI > A phone app that makes calls on your behalf to make reservations, book appointments, and more. (link)

  • Erayaha AI > Review contracts for hidden risks and financial impacts directly in Word and Google Docs with AI assistance. (link)

  • GitPodcast > Generate engaging podcasts to understand GitHub repositories. (link)

THINK PIECES / RESOURCES

  • AI still lacks "common" sense, 70 years later. (link)

  • Everything that happened in AI Agents this week. (link)

  • Google Product Lead gives AGI predictions. (link)

  • Seven predictions for tech in 2025. (link)

  • How AI and human brains are converging. (link)

  • Things we learned about LLMs in 2024. (link)

  • Timeline of AI models released in 2024. (link)

  • NotebookLM + Perplexity workflow that will cut your research time by 50%. (link)

AI AGENTS

Hugging Face Unveils Smolagents

Hugging Face has released Smolagents, a minimalist open-source framework that allows developers to build powerful AI agents quickly using just three lines of Python code.

Here's what you need to know:

  • It leverages Hugging Face's extensive library of pre-trained models, allowing the creation of agents capable of understanding commands, connecting to external data sources, and dynamically generating and executing code.

  • Smolagents is lightweight, containing only about 1,000 lines of code. This makes it simple to use while still handling the complexity of building AI agents.

  • Its standout feature, CodeAgent, allows the AI to write Python code directly rather than using traditional toolcalling methods, reducing steps by 30%.

  • This framework is compatible with multiple models, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta's Llama, and Qwen, giving developers access to a broad range of tools.

Why it matters:

SmolAgents makes building AI agents easier for everyone, from beginners to experienced developers. Its simple design and powerful features let you quickly turn ideas into working solutions without extensive resources, making it a great option for solo developers and small teams.

For a visual overview and tutorial on Smolagents, you might find the following video helpful:

CONTENT CORNER

1/

A nice breakdown to help you find the right tool for the job.

2/

It’s been a mini-game on image-based social media for the past year or 2, guessing if people are AI or not. There’s been many convincing ones I've noticed. But it’s also been clear that the game would end, it seems like it ends here in 2025.

3/

Posting pictures of yourself online is getting weirdly scary.

Privacy is going to become the most valued luxury you can have.

4/

The idea of using multiple specialized models encourages a modular approach to intelligence, allowing for the integration of diverse skills and knowledge, which can lead to more robust problem-solving capabilities.

5/

Copying websites is getting too easy with AI tools like Bolt. But I guess getting inspired is better than copying everything from someone’s website.

6/

Perplexity Ads are here.

THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY

That’s all for today’s issue, folks.

💡 Help me get better and suggest new ideas at [email protected] or @heyBarsee

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