Illia Polosukhin, a key figure in the development of transformer technology, co-wrote the groundbreaking 2017 article “Attention is all you need” with seven colleagues from Google, who came to be known as the “Transformer 8.” The group made their first joint appearance at NVIDIA’s annual developer conference in March, where CEO Jensen Huang credited their work with shaping the current technology landscape.
Polosukhin revealed that Google started utilizing transformers in Google Translate in 2018, leading to significant advancements in the platform. However, it was not until OpenAI launched ChatGPT in November 2022 that the technology gained widespread popularity. According to Polosukhin, OpenAI was able to take this risk due to its non-profit status, as any misstep with inappropriate content could have serious consequences for a public company.
Despite the success of the transformer technology, Polosukhin decided to leave Google to establish his own AI company, Near, alongside fellow software engineer Alexander Skidanov. While praising Google’s research environment, he noted that the company’s size and bureaucratic processes could hinder rapid innovation and deployment. Polosukhin emphasized that Google tends to prioritize billion-dollar ideas, which may not align with the goals of individual researchers.
As an advocate for open source technology, Polosukhin believes in making AI tools accessible to a wider audience for collaborative development. Through Near, he aims to promote user-owned AI that prioritizes privacy and user control over data. The company focuses on empowering users to have greater sovereignty over their AI systems.
In a conversation with CNBC’s Katie Tarasov, Polosukhin elaborated on his vision for user-owned AI and the future of artificial intelligence. The discussion highlighted the importance of balancing innovation with ethical considerations, particularly in the era of rapidly evolving technology.
In conclusion, Illia Polosukhin’s contributions to the development of transformer technology have had a lasting impact on the AI industry. His commitment to user privacy and open collaboration underscores the importance of responsible AI development in a rapidly changing world.
Article Source
https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2024/06/27/illiapolosukhinai240624tarasovsf.html
