Sam Altman is back on the conference circuit and touting AI's benefits to humanity, days after regaining the lead at the world's best-known artificial intelligence startup.
02.12.2023 - 01:23 / tech.hindustantimes.com / Sam Altman
OpenAI's power brokers seem to have decided that the quickest fix for last week's dysfunction is to borrow a page from corporate America's playbook by adding some establishment figures to its board.
The company's initial new lineup of directors now includes some of the archetypes that make its boardroom look much more like everyone else's: A well-regarded technology executive in the form of Bret Taylor, Salesforce Inc.'s former co-chief executive officer, and a bigwig economist in Larry Summers, the former Treasury secretary. The two join Quora's Adam D'Angelo, the one holdover from the old group of directors that briefly ousted co-founder and CEO Sam Altman.
The board makeover into one that more closely resembles the traditional corporate mold is being cast by some as the beginning of adult supervision at OpenAI. (At least so far candidates that might add some diversity to the all-male roster apparently don't fall into that category.) But it's not yet clear that this board composition — or any board structure for that matter — can oversee Altman and his highly paid and devoted employees as they chase something that has the potential to destroy humanity.
We are now on WhatsApp. Click to join
More important, this question of what oversight should look like at OpenAI has implications that stretch beyond the company and the artificial intelligence community. OpenAI was set up as a “humanity scale endeavor pursuing broad benefit for humankind.” Not all companies are aiming for such lofty stakes, but it's not at all out of the ordinary anymore for founders and CEOs to strive to build a money-making endeavor alongside a social mission — an attempt to tackle issues of public good that government simply cannot or will not address. The OpenAI debacle is a clear warning sign that how these types of complex enterprises are governed needs to be sorted out. “The key question is how do we do this,” said Emilie Aguirre, a professor at Duke Law School who researches companies that pursue both social purpose and profit. “No one has figured out a great or reliable way.”
Altman's attempt to solve this problem at OpenAI was to structure his project as a nonprofit. But tech talent, especially in a hot field like AI, is expensive. When the money ran out, OpenAI started a for-profit arm overseen by its nonprofit board that was legally bound to pursue the nonprofit's original goal — a resolution that basically shoehorned the money-seeking piece of the enterprise into the old governance structure. This is clearly not the most graceful solution, but it worked just fine until the money and the mission came into conflict.
Even corporate structures designed explicitly to foster some kind of public good seem to run into the
Sam Altman is back on the conference circuit and touting AI's benefits to humanity, days after regaining the lead at the world's best-known artificial intelligence startup.
This is not investment advice. The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Wccftech.com has a disclosure and ethics policy.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become the buzzword of 2023, with the world's biggest companies launching their suite of AI services not just for consumers, but for businesses as well. While AI technology has been growing for some time, it is safe to say that this revolution really kicked off when OpenAI launched its AI chatbot ChatGPT in November 2022. Since then, rapid advancements have taken place in the field, with companies like Microsoft and Google releasing their AI services. AI for business has also become highly sought after, with companies leveraging the new tech to grow their business and offer more services to consumers. However, OpenAI Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap thinks this technology is overhyped. He also revealed some details about the shock resignation and the eventual return of CEO Sam Altman.
When news stories emerged last week that OpenAI had been working on a new AI model called Q* (pronounced “q star”), some suggested this was a major step toward powerful, humanlike artificial intelligence that could one day go rogue. What's more certain: The hype around Q* has boosted excitement about the company's engineering prowess, just as it's steadying itself from a failed board coup. Peaks of AI excitement about milestones have taken the public for a ride plenty times before. The real warning we should take from Q* is the direction in which these systems are progressing. As they get better at reasoning, it will become more tempting to give such tools greater responsibilities. More than any concerns about AI annihilation, that alone should give us pause.
OpenAI is delaying the launch of an online store for people to interact with an array of chatbots customized by its users, citing the interruption caused by the ousting and reinstatement of Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman.
Larry Summers, a new board member at artificial intelligence startup OpenAI, said that the startup's work was “extraordinarily important” and that the company needed to operate as a “corporation with a conscience.” OpenAI “has to be prepared to cooperate with key government officials on regulatory issues, on national security issues, on development of technology issues,” Summers said on Bloomberg Television's Wall Street Week with David Westin on Friday.
In a recent turn of events, Sam Altman, co-founder of OpenAI, has reclaimed his position as the CEO of OpenAI after a tumultuous episode involving his shocking initial dismissal and subsequent reinstatement. The lingering question that has stayed in many people's minds is the reason behind this unexpected sequence of events. During an interview with The Verge, Altman addressed this query and more. While refraining from disclosing the initial cause of his dismissal, he expressed his joy at rejoining the company. Altman emphasised that the matter is still under investigation, urging that such questions should be directed to the OpenAI board rather than himself.
OpenAI has been through a lot of dramatic changes over these past few weeks with the board members firing the company CEO Sam Altman. While the feud did not last long and Altman eventually made his way back as OpenAI CEO, the company has made significant changes in their board with three new members and Microsoft is also getting a seat on the board, however, as a silent member. Check Microsoft's role in the OpenAI board and how it will function to ensure the company's success.
OpenAI announced that ChatGPT, the popular generative artificial intelligence-based chatbot, was getting new capabilities earlier in September. These features have now been rolled out globally, and one of the most interesting features will be available to all users, whether they subscribe to its premium version or use the free version. The feature grants ChatGPT voice capability, letting it both receive queries verbally and answer them in the same way. These features will be available in the mobile app version of the platform.
After almost five days, he's back: Sam Altman returns to OpenAI as its chief executive officer, the very same position he had held just 110 or so hours prior, in what will come to be known in Silicon Valley as “the time before OpenAI imploded.” But this saga has only reached the end of the beginning. We go into the Thanksgiving break wondering what happens next, and what it will mean for the future — not just for OpenAI, but AI more broadly.
OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman is to return as CEO of the company, mere days after his chaotic firing by a board that seems to have lost all support. A deal has been reached «in principle» for his return that will see new board members appointed, and the agreement comes shortly after Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella had essentially checkmated OpenAI by offering Altman a job and guaranteeing the role and salary of any OpenAI staff that wished to join him.
Are you looking to showcase your brand in front of the brightest minds of the gaming industry? Consider getting a custom GamesBeat sponsorship. Learn more.