OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
AI leaders like ChatGPT boss Sam Altman are hoping synthetic data will make their AI models smarter.
  • The AI industry has a major problem: the real-world data used to make smarter models is running out.
  • Companies scrambling for an alternative think synthetic data could offer a solution.
  • Research suggests synthetic data could poison AI with low-quality information.

The AI world is on the cusp of running out of its most valuable resource — and it's leading industry leaders into a fierce debate over a fast-growing alternative being touted as a replacement: synthetic data, or essentially "fake" data.