Sam Altman's firing from OpenAI rocked the tech world. Just days before his unexpected departure, Altman had shared bold visions about the future of artificial intelligence.
Now, these words take on a prophetic resonance, almost a premonition of the tumultuous change of direction. The question that arises is: did his "predictions" have a role in what happened?
The unmistakable words during the OpenAI event
The announcement of Altman's firing is generating a torrent of questions and hypotheses, not only about the future of OpenAI, but also about the broader implications for the entire AI industry. It is an event of enormous importance for the entire artificial intelligence sector, which will produce consequences and changes in direction that are unimaginable today. However, we can try to grasp something from the context in which the event occurred.
Altman's very recent statements during the DevDay Keynote of OpenAI, for example. At the end of an epochal event for the company, with the launch of GPTs, a sort of "artificial intelligence shop" that literally explodes the sector, Altman doesn't stop there. He announces that that, in fact, is nothing. That his company has a big, big ace up its sleeve ready to pull out.
Listening to them now they seem full of bitter irony. They spoke of an imminent future in which current OpenAI developments would seem “very modest” compared to the magnitude of the things researchers were working on.
What we are launching today will seem ridiculous compared to what we are
Sam Altman at the end of the event – November 6, 2023
already creating for you.
It seems clear to me that the "experimental" development of these systems is months ahead, perhaps years older than the “commercial” versions. And it seems equally clear to me that Altman's vision for the company was clearly bold and innovative, but now the question remains whether this same vision may have contributed to his sudden departure.
A prophetic AI future?
In a context in which Altman's words sound almost like an early epitaph to his career at OpenAI, a bigger picture emerges. His predictions were not just a simple technological prediction, but perhaps a sign of the profound changes underway within the company and the industry. This event raises significant questions: Was it too ahead of its time? Or have internal conflicts arise regarding the future direction of the company?
Under Altman's leadership, OpenAI has distinguished itself as a leader in the field of artificial intelligence, outperforming tech giants like Google and Meta. The company has achieved extraordinary successes with products such as GPT-4 and DALL-E, as well as pioneering AI services. The dismissal of Altman (which has already "brought with it" the abandonment of OpenAI also by the President, Greg Brockman, and at least 3 key researchers in the company) suggests that significant differences in vision and strategy within the organization.
Speculations and future consequences
The world of AI has been wondering for hours: what led to the dismissal of such a central and important figure as Altman? The consequences in its scope are not yet clear, but it is certain that such an event instantly changes all the dynamics of the artificial intelligence industry. Speculations? Many. And all without official confirmation.
Circumstances of an important agreement: Altman may have made important decisions without full board involvement, indicated by lack of transparency in communications;
Disagreement on long-term strategy: There may have been differences between Altman and the board regarding OpenAI's future strategy, particularly financial sustainability (I have a question about this in particular, at the end of the article).
Financial problems: Altman may have underestimated or hidden OpenAI's operating costs, or he may have pursued expensive internal projects against the advice of the board.
Security or privacy incident: There has been speculation about a possible major security or privacy issue related to OpenAI's products, which Altman may have downplayed.
Ethical or philosophical differences: Altman's strong enthusiasm for artificial general intelligence may have created tensions with the board, which may prefer a more measured approach.
Legal and intellectual property issues: There were concerns that OpenAI could face legal liability for using copyrighted materials in its AI models.
Personal Matters: While there is no official confirmation, it has been speculated that Altman's personal behavior (for allegedly abusing his sister Annie) may have played a role in his firing.
Those words remain, and a question.
Sam Altman's contributions to OpenAI and the AI industry will remain a significant point of reference, but his departure also raises questions about the future of the company and the evolution of the field of artificial intelligence.
Returning to his "prophetic predictions", I make a consideration. OpenAI, as you know, is a non-profit company that fully controls its for-profit subsidiary, OpenAI Global, LLC. The latter is authorized to commercialize its technology, but is subject to the nonprofit's mission, which is to reach artificial general intelligence (AGI), or an artificial intelligence that can “outperform humans in most economically valuable work,” as defined by OpenAI.
OpenAI's board has the power to determine when the company has reached AGI and to exclude this AGI from intellectual property licensing and other commercial terms, including those with Microsoft, one of OpenAI's largest investors.
That said, without any behind-the-scenes explanations but with a lot of curiosity: what suddenly went wrong between Ilya Sutskever, Sam Altman and Greg Brokman? The first kicked out the other two within an hour, with the markets still open, with a choice that was as rapid as it was evidently hurried and urgent.
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