Greg Brockman Urges Entrepreneurs: It’s Not Too Late to Build AI Startups That Truly Matter

Artificial intelligence is advancing at a breathtaking pace, with big tech companies and startups alike racing to claim their share of the booming industry. For many aspiring founders, it might feel as though the winners have already been decided. But Greg Brockman, co-founder and president of OpenAI, believes otherwise.

Speaking recently on the Latent Space podcast, Brockman offered a message of encouragement for those hoping to enter the AI space. He acknowledged the competitive environment but insisted that opportunities remain wide open for innovators who can combine cutting-edge technology with real-world problem-solving.

“Sometimes it might feel like all the ideas are taken, but the economy is so big,” he said. “It is worthwhile and really important for people to think about how we get the most out of these amazing intelligences that we’ve created.”

According to Brockman, the true potential of large language models (LLMs) lies not in superficial tools but in their integration with industries where real impact is possible. He pointed to healthcare as one example, where progress depends on navigating complex regulations, stakeholders, and existing systems. Those who can bring AI into such critical sectors, he argued, are well-positioned to drive transformation. “There is so much fruit that is not yet picked,” he added. “So go ahead and ride the GPT river.”

At the same time, Brockman warned against what he called “wrappers” — thin applications that sit on top of someone else’s AI models without adding meaningful value. He urged entrepreneurs to resist the temptation of quick fixes and instead invest in building domain expertise and lasting relationships. “It’s really about understanding a domain and building up expertise and relationships,” he explained. “To get the competitive edge in the AI space one needs to solve problems that matter deeply to customers and industries.”

Looking beyond today’s opportunities, Brockman also painted an ambitious picture of the long-term future shaped by artificial intelligence. He envisioned a world defined by abundance, where AI could manufacture both digital and physical goods instantly and essentially at no cost. “I hope it'll be a world of amazing abundance and that I think at that point we really should be multi-planetary and kind of almost any sci-fi dream you can imagine,” he said.

Central to that future, he noted, will be access to computing power. “There is one resource that is very clearly going to be in very hot demand, which is compute,” Brockman emphasized. “Already the case — the researchers that have the access to the most compute are able to have the biggest projects and do more.”

In his view, computing resources may one day replace traditional wealth altogether, becoming the world’s most valuable currency. As AI reshapes both digital and physical realities, Brockman suggested, money as we know it could lose its meaning.