The race for artificial intelligence has never been stronger, but according to the CEO of Surge AI, Edwin Chen, it's headed in the completely wrong direction: at least when it comes to launching technology to help address important global challenges, many companies today are focused on flashy outputs, dopamine-chasing responses, and leaderboard-friendly tricks rather than real scientific progress.

Chen commented on a recent episode of Lenny's Podcast, cautioning that the industry is in danger of optimising AI for superficial appeal rather than truth, depth, or long-term impact.

AI Slop vs. Real Innovation

Chen, who founded Surge AI in 2020 after stints at Twitter, Google, and Meta, said the biggest problem is a growing obsession with online leaderboards like LMArena. These sites

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