In a shocking revelation, Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI and breakthrough tech ChatGPT, was fired by his group of board members for unforeseen reasons.
OpenAI has changed how we interact with technology and has opened new capabilities to build the world further. Its Founder, Sam Altman, quickly grew in the limelight as the spokesperson for Artificial Intelligence. He answered almost every doubt, even if it was controversial, and remained vocal about the advantages and dangers of AI development.
Considering how he has been facing all the world leaders to answer their skepticism about Generative AI and its competencies, a sudden shock has left the entire A fraternity numb. His board members recently fired Sam Altman over a sudden and unanimous decision that did not even leave scope for negotiation. Sam Altman, in simple and plain words, is out of OpenAI as its leader. The reason behind the abrupt firing of one of the most prominent personalities leading the development of AI is still a mystery. But, there is a sequence we can decode the reason from.
The world’s first AI Safety Summit was held in the UK last week, where most leading countries were present. Sam Altman was one of the leading spokespersons of the summit and openly shared information to help the world understand the technology better. He even urged government representatives to work stringently and quickly on forming laws around the usage, development, and limitation of AI to set ethical and legal boundaries.
Since the dawn of OpenAI, Sam Altman has been quite vocal about the dangers of AI. He clearly states that ChatGPT is a tool and not a creature, but the way it is evolving, it may get out of hand without notice. The second major reason behind making AI vulnerable is the open accessibility of the entire code framework to the public. Multiple new AI products have emerged since ChatGPT launched. These products, if left unsupervised, can be a powerful tool to spread misinformation or mislead the masses during the election process.
Right after ousting Sam Altman, the board of directors released a blog on OpenAI’s main website. It mentioned: “Mr. Altman’s departure follows a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities. The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI.” The company, however, did not reveal what he was not candid about.
Being too open in public and too closed with the people he is supposed to trust the most seems quite hypocritical to be true. However, there is another insight that can open new angles on finding out why the action took place. The board consists of 6 members, out of which two people were Sam Altman, and another member was fired. This means that the remaining 4 members cornered Sam and his fellow partner. Also, considering how the board lost confidence, it may be possible that the board either caught him having or not having a critical piece of information that made their statement sound.
Mira Murati, the former Chief Technology Officer of OpenAI, is going to take charge as its interim CEO. The OpenAI blog stated: “A member of OpenAI’s leadership team for five years, Mira has played a critical role in OpenAI’s evolution into a global AI leader. She brings a unique skill set and understanding of the company’s values, operations, and business, and already leads the company’s research, product, and safety functions.”
“Given her long tenure and close engagement with all aspects of the company, including her experience in AI governance and policy, the board believes she is uniquely qualified for the role and anticipates a seamless transition while it conducts a formal search for a permanent CEO,” it added.
The future of OpenAI and the trust the general public has in the development of AI tech will be hindered by this decision. Sam Altman has been a trusted figure in the AI industry, and the current action puts the entire company in the keen eye of many leading figures, governments, and tech innovators.
With a mixture of literature, cinema, and photography, Manish is mostly traveling. When he is not, he is probably writing another tech news for you!
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