Before the departure of Sam Altman, the head of OpenAI, the company that brought us ChatGPT, the in-house researchers sent a letter to the board of directors about a breakthrough in artificial intelligence research, reports Reuters citing sources.
According to the publication, the scientists warned in this message that a groundbreaking discovery in AI could potentially pose a threat to humanity. This letter, apparently, became one of the decisive factors in the list of grievances against Altman by the board of directors.
One source claims that OpenAI has a project called Q (pronounced as Q-Star), which was mentioned in the letter. Some employees believe that it could contribute to the creation of so-called Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), capable of complex calculations in the future. Allegedly, Q currently possesses substantial computing resources and is already solving school-level problems.
AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) is not just a super powerful calculator, reports Reuters; it is a highly intelligent computer theoretically capable of not only calculating but also learning independently, analyzing information, and reasoning like a human.
“There has long been a debate among computer scientists about the danger posed by highly intelligent machines, for example, if they can decide that the destruction of humanity serves their interests,” writes the publication.
THE SWIFT RISE AND FALL OF SAM ALTMAN
The most discussed topic in many global media outlets this week was the scandalous dismissal and reappointment of Sam Altman, the creator of ChatGPT, from OpenAI. In just seven days, the public learned about his resignation, employment at Microsoft, and his subsequent return. What transpired during this period?
Abrupt Dismissal
On November 17, news broke about Sam Altman’s dismissal from OpenAI. The company’s official statement stated that the head “was not transparent enough with the leadership.”
It is believed that the board of directors took such a radical step due to their concerns about Altman’s principles in AI development. Allegedly, he prioritized the speed of product releases and customer acquisition, while the board was concerned about the safety of tools capable of generating text, images, and even computer code based on simple requests.
The news shocked everyone, including Microsoft, which had invested $10 billion in the AI developer. Shortly before the unexpected news, OpenAI’s CEO had presented at a developer summit, announcing the company’s new products.
Initially, Mira Murati, the Director of Technology, assumed Altman’s position. Then, on November 19, the board of directors appointed former Twitch CEO Emmett Shear as the interim CEO.
Threats and Contradictions
Outraged OpenAI employees threatened to resign en masse if Altman was not reinstated, and the board did not step down. The majority of the workforce, over 700 out of 770 employees, expressed their intentions in an open letter, stating that they “cannot work for people lacking sufficient competence, discernment, and care.”
However, the letter contained peculiarities: among those calling for Altman’s return was Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI’s Chief Scientist and one of the four members of the board of directors. He had previously voted for the CEO’s dismissal.
The Wall Street Journal described the scene of Altman’s dismissal. On Thursday, November 16, after Altman’s presentation at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, Sutskever suggested a video call the next morning. Connecting, Altman found the entire board of directors on the call, and then Sutskever announced his resignation. The conversation took only 20 minutes.
Sources familiar with the board’s opinion told the publication that Sutskever and Altman’s conflict over AI safety issues could have been the reason.
Later on social media, Sutskever expressed deep regret and stated that he would “do everything in his power to reunite the company.” Mira Murati also signed an open letter.
It’s worth noting that Altman co-founded OpenAI in 2015 with Sutskever, Greg Brockman, and Elon Musk. Brockman, also a former president of the company, left following Altman’s departure.
A New, Brief Job
After Altman’s dismissal, he was invited to Microsoft, where he led the Advanced Research Group in AI. Brockman and other employees followed him.
Finally, on November 22, the situation was resolved: OpenAI announced on social media that Altman and Brockman were returning to their positions. The company revealed its intention to change the board of directors. Sam Altman later confirmed this information.
The initial composition of the new board will include former Salesforce CEO Bret Taylor, former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, and Quora co-founder Adam D’Angelo, who was part of the previous board. According to The Verge, their main task will be to assemble an expanded board of 9 people who will oversee the company’s management.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella approved these changes and expressed hope for the continued strong
