The future of Open AI

Kevin Weil’s podcast summarized | Part 2

Author

Aaron Samuel
May 15, 2025

Hey clever people,

Here’s Part 2 of our breakdown of the Kevin Weil podcast (OpenAI’s Chief Product Officer). 

If you missed Part 1, check your inbox or reply with “resend.”

Let’s jump back in 👇

7. The Future Is Fine-Tuned (and Ensemble-Based)

“Every company is basically an ensemble of fine-tuned humans. AI systems will be the same.” (will it though?) 

OpenAI uses ensembles: multiple models of different sizes, speeds, and strengths working together.

Examples:

  • Cheap fine-tuned models handle 80% of customer queries.

  • If uncertain, they flag for human review → those responses improve the model.

This is how AI gets more accurate, faster, and cost-effective over time. 

8. OpenAI Only Has ~25 PMs (And They Like It That Way)

Their view:
Too many PMs = too many decks, not enough execution.

At OpenAI:

  • PMs guide, but don’t command.

  • Engineers and researchers lead products.

  • The best PMs are decisive, influential, and thrive in ambiguity.

    This lean team structure keeps OpenAI fast and builder-driven. (They know how to build and act fast)

9. Raising Kids in an AI-Native World

Weil’s kids are growing up with ChatGPT, Alexa, and self-driving cars.

His parenting focus?

  • Not hard skills like coding

  • But confidence, independence, curiosity, and critical thinking

He also points out:

“It’s wild no one has built a massive AI tutoring platform yet. The tech is free and ready.” (Maybe a big opportunity here 👀) 

10. Optimism, AI Risks, and Real-World Impact

Weil is long-term optimistic:

“Technology is behind nearly every human breakthrough.” 

But he’s also real about short-term risks:

  • Inequality

  • Misuse

  • Job displacement

OpenAI is focused on supporting reskilling, education, and thoughtful policy to keep the ecosystem safe and productive. 

11. Creativity Is About to Explode

Weil says tools like Sora and ImageGen are changing the game.

Today, a solo creator can:

  • Generate 50 video concepts

  • Visualize entire scenes

  • Iterate without spending $100K on production

The takeaway:

AI won’t replace creatives but it will unlock faster iteration and more exploration.

12. What’s Next for AI Agents?

Models like GPT-4o are launching every 3–4 months. And each one’s a leap in:

  • Reasoning

  • Multimodality

  • Cost-efficiency (4o mini is 100x cheaper than earlier models)

Weil hints the next breakthroughs will hit coding, writing, and multimodal thinking.

Basically:

“GPT-3.5 was mind-blowing two years ago. Today, it’s unusable.” (AI is legit the world’s baby and we are watching it grow) 

Hope you found this series fun and skillful!

— Written by Aaron & The Clever Nest Team