On Thursday, the board of OpenAI refuted claims made by some of its former members that Sam Altman’s abrupt resignation from the startup last year was necessary due to worries about artificial intelligence safety.
The board members of OpenAI stated that an investigation into the events revealed that the previous board’s decision was not based on worries about the speed at which AI is developing or on remarks made to the startup’s clients, investors, or business partners, among other things.
In six months of nearly daily contact with the company, we have found Altman highly forthcoming on all relevant issues and consistently collegial with his management team,” the statement stated.
In an invitation-only interview with the Economist on Sunday, Helen Toner and Tasha McCauley—who had departed the board in November when Altman took the helm again—said they supported the board’s decision to fire Altman, citing its obligation to “provide independent oversight and protect the company’s public-interest mission.”
They added that events since their departure, such as Altman’s return to the board of the Microsoft-backed MSFT.O startup and the departure of senior safety-focused talent, portend badly for OpenAI’s experiment in self-governance.
The board of OpenAI, led by Bret Taylor, the former co-CEO of Salesforce, concurs with Toner and McCauley that effective regulation of AI is necessary. It also mentioned that the company that makes ChatGPT has had discussions with government representatives about a number of generative AI-related issues.
Also Read:
Opinion | The Lalu Jungle Raj: A Dark History That Needing Retelling
