The CEO of AI giant OpenAI, Sam Altman, found himself ousted from his own company after a dramatic boardroom showdown. Altman was met with the news of his ouster during a video call and initially accepted the decision, but soon changed his mind and declared war. The ouster was the result of ongoing tensions at the company regarding differing philosophies about the potential dangers and benefits of AI.
The company was founded as a non-profit in San Francisco in 2015 with a board responsible for making sure it fulfilled its mission of building AI systems for the benefit of all humanity. However, divisions deepened within the organization, and Altman, who took over as CEO in 2019, changed the company’s direction by creating a for-profit subsidiary and raising a substantial amount of money from Microsoft.
The tensions further escalated after the successful launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT last year, leading to concerns among board members that the success was contrary to creating safe AI. There were also conflicts over the composition of the board and accusations against Altman for not sharing his plans with the board. Finally, in November, the board voted to oust Altman.
The drama also embroiled Microsoft, which had a significant financial investment in OpenAI, as well as other top Silicon Valley executives and investors who mobilized to support Altman.
The episode raises questions about the people and companies behind the AI revolution and the impact of infighting and disagreements on ongoing development. This conflict at OpenAI has considerably shaken the company’s reputation and aura of invulnerability, prompting concerns about whether it can be trusted to responsibly advance the technology with potentially far-reaching effects.
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