A 9-year-old girl earns her first pot of gold with an AI "master key", and the six ambitions of OpenAI's new CEO.

Fidji Simo will assume the position of CEO of OpenAI Applications on August 18, managing at least one-third of the company's business and promoting and expanding the application scenarios of AI.

She is a pragmatic tech enthusiast who believes that AI will bring unprecedented opportunities to humanity and endow individuals with unprecedented power.

Every technological revolution is like a double-edged sword: it enables more people to have decision-making power, the ability to shape the world, and even take control of their own destinies in a brand-new way.

We must carefully construct and promote these technologies, which will determine whether this transformation will empower more people or make a few individuals wealthier.

The First Memorandum after Joining OpenAI

OpenAI has poached Fidji Simo, the CEO of Instacart, to serve as the Chief Executive Officer of Applications.

She will be responsible for product development and business growth. Altman can then focus on research, computing power, and security.

Simo's first memorandum begins with the idea that the "keys to empowerment" - knowledge, health, creativity, economic freedom, time, and support - should be accessible to everyone.

Knowledge: Lighting Up the Light of Wisdom

With timely knowledge, we can make wiser decisions, speak up for ourselves, and rewrite the course of our lives.

In the past, expert-level knowledge often belonged only to a few people with abundant resources.

Today, AI is breaking down these barriers, truly democratizing knowledge and opening the door of opportunity for everyone.

AI can condense thousands of hours of learning into customized insights, presented in plain language at an appropriate pace and level of understanding.

It not only answers questions but also teaches us how to ask better ones, helping us build confidence in once obscure or intimidating fields.

The results are already evident: people using AI tutors learn twice as efficiently as those with traditional tutors, far exceeding the effectiveness of classroom teaching.

A 2024 OpenAI study showed that 90% of users said ChatGPT made it easier for them to understand complex concepts.

When everyone is equipped with an AI tutor for any subject, the knowledge gap will be bridged, and those who are lagging behind can catch up.

Health: A Priceless Treasure

What Simo anticipates most is the breakthrough of AI in the medical field.

A few years ago, she fought against a complex and rare chronic disease, experiencing the fragmentation and high barriers of the medical system.

Nearly 90% of American adults have difficulty understanding and applying health information, leading to poor health outcomes and costing over $200 billion in medical expenses annually.

Patients often feel helpless about their own health issues.

Simo once hired a Stanford tutor to teach her biology and genetics and founded an institution to study chronic diseases.

Obviously, most people don't have such resources - with AI, they don't need to go to such great lengths.

AI can interpret test results, decipher medical terms, provide second opinions, and help patients understand their choices in simple language.

It won't replace doctors, but it can put patients on a more equal footing and enable them to take charge of their own health.

More importantly, AI makes health management no longer limited to the doctor's office.

The keys to preventing diseases and optimizing health - sleep, diet, exercise, stress management, and social connections - are all closely related to daily habits.

In addition to accelerating diagnosis and drug development, AI can also become an all-day health partner, strengthening healthy habits through personalized real-time reminders.

Creative Expression: Unleashing Everyone's Creativity

Simo believes that everyone is a born creator.

The ability to turn imagination into reality is a core human trait.

However, skill limitations often prevent our creativity from blossoming - not everyone has the time, resources, or training to paint, write, or compose music.

She likes to paint in her free time, but the images in her mind are always more vivid and complex than those on the canvas.

AI is narrowing the gap between imagination and reality.

Through AI image generation tools, you can continuously adjust the prompts until the image on the screen perfectly matches your inner vision.

Today, nearly one-third of Gen Z users say that AI tools allow them to express themselves in ways they never thought possible.

This doesn't diminish the charm of painting. AI provides everyone with the tools to turn their creativity into images, stories, or music, making the world a more colorful place.

Financial Freedom: Turning Dreams into Reality

When people can independently create value and earn money, they gain the ability to control their economic destinies.

However, starting a business has never been easy.

In the United States, the average cost of starting a small business is as high as $30,000, which is too high a threshold for most people who want to start a business.

In the past, developing a product or service required technical knowledge, especially programming, which discouraged countless people with creative ideas but without a technical background.

Today, AI is changing all of this.

Regardless of age or seniority, a single person can take full control of the entire process from brainstorming to prototype design, market promotion, and product launch without writing a single line of code.

A 2024 Shopify report showed that solo entrepreneurs using AI launched their businesses 70% faster than those using traditional methods.

Simo's nine-year-old daughter wanted to plan children's birthday parties. She used AI tools to create a fully functional website over a weekend to showcase her party ideas, shared it with her friends, and actually got orders!

This will also reshape the workplace: companies may reduce recruitment because existing teams can be more productive, and some positions may even disappear.

At the same time, new positions will emerge.

Therefore, it is crucial to improve skills and enable more people to learn to use AI tools to ensure that economic opportunities are available to everyone.

Even if you don't start a business, AI can act as a financial assistant.

Today, only one-third of American adults can correctly answer basic financial questions.

AI can help people make wiser choices and build a more stable future through personalized savings, budgeting, investment, and debt management advice.

Time: A Truly Scarce Resource

Whether one can freely control time often determines whether they feel in control of their lives.

The wealthy buy back time by hiring assistants, housekeepers, personal trainers, chefs, etc., to build a smooth life system. The average American family, however, spends nearly 20 hours a week on housework, logistics, and trivial matters.

Technology can completely change people's perception of time.

In 2012, using a personal shopper seemed like a luxury exclusive to the rich.

However, through well-designed products, logistics, and pricing, personal shopping has become a daily routine for ordinary families.

Today, Instacart users cover all social classes in the United States, and millions of families save precious time each week for more valuable things.

This is especially important for low-income families, who often have multiple jobs and take care of their families. Gradually, what was once a luxury has become a daily necessity.

AI can bring about similar changes.

Time-consuming tasks such as researching decisions, planning trips, and booking tutors can all be handled by AI agents, and everyone can afford to use them.

OpenAI has the opportunity to make these a standard part of life, allowing people to regain control of their time and attention.

Support: Your Everlasting "Intimate Partner"

For many people, the biggest obstacle is not a lack of opportunities but self-doubt, loneliness, or exhaustion.

Sometimes, the thing that can most help people move forward is support - a presence that allows them to reflect, be understood, and move forward with confidence.

Business coach Katia has had a huge impact on her career. She often jokes that everyone needs a "Katia in their pocket."

In the past, personalized guidance was a privilege for a few, but ChatGPT is making it accessible to more people.

People have started using ChatGPT to deal with career setbacks, process grief, or sort out their chaotic thoughts late at night. Non-judgmental confessions can bring great comfort.

This is not to replace human connections but to fill the gaps where no one else is available.

Many people are reluctant to open up to their relatives and friends and cannot often access therapists. Even if they can, the contact time is usually only one hour a week.

AI coaches can accompany us around the clock, providing support based on a comprehensive understanding of our lives and helping us become aware of subconscious patterns.

The core of philosophy and religion is self-awareness: to become the person we want to be, we first need to understand who we really are.

If AI can help us understand ourselves more deeply, it will be the most precious gift we receive.

References:

https://www.wired.com/story/openai-fidji-simo-note-employees/

https://openai.com/index/ai-as-the-greatest-source-of-empowerment-for-all/

https://www.theverge.com/openai/710836/instacarts-former-ceo-is-taking-the-reins-of-a-big-chunk-of-openai

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-07-21/fidji-simo-lays-out-vision-as-openai-ceo-of-applications-ahead-of-august-start

This article is from the WeChat official account "New Intelligence Yuan". The author is New Intelligence Yuan, the editor is Ying Zhi, and it is published by 36Kr with authorization.