The sudden and surprise dismissal of Sam Altman as head of OpenAI and the pressure immediately unleashed by this firm’s investors for him to return to office show the confrontation in the company that has popularized artificial intelligence (AI).
The appearance on Friday of the face of this company and of AI in general, at the summit since it launched the ChatGPT chatbot a year ago, reveals the war brewing within this industry. In this internal scenario, a metaphor for society, those who warn of the danger of the rapid development of a sector that they consider a threat to humanity and those who bet on the bottom line of this unstoppable tool clash.
Without the causes of the dismissal having been specified, the first group would be the four members of the OpenAI board of directors who remain in charge, after the dismissal of Altman and the resignation of Greg Brockman, another senior executive and participant in the foundation. of the company. At least three other employees submitted their resignations and others were considering it. Among the critics of this tandem stands out Ilya Sutskeyer, a highly respected AI researcher whose concern has not stopped growing regarding a technology that seems very harmful if it continues with too rapid expansion, a risk to which the current former executive director did not pay attention. due attention, always according to that version.
Before the workers, Sustkeyer maintained that it was not a coup to seize power, but rather an attempt to make artificial intelligence a social benefit and not a harm.
Altman, 38, would instead lead the group of those who think that AI is one of the biggest business opportunities in a generation and a great advance for people.
Perhaps due to this circumstance, Microsoft responded immediately in the counteroffensive and even more so when it was informed even after the news spread in the media. Technology investors rushed to join the bandwagon this Saturday to reinstate the fired man in talks that continued this Sunday.
Microsoft is one of the main promoters of OpenAI, a company in which it invested $13 billion. In addition, it is the company that provides most of the essential technological infrastructure on which products like ChatGPT depend.
Although Altman, whose expulsion caused an earthquake in this industry, has a lot of support, largely due to the reputation he earned running Y Combinator, the startup incubator in Silicon Valley, the question of his return was not as easy as it is supposed. and there were no guarantees in the bet.
This is due to OpenAI’s special business structure. Its uniqueness is that it has been controlled since its origin in 2015 by a non-profit organization, which in 2019 created a subsidiary with limited profits, so returns to investors are limited to certain amounts above their initial investment. . And the board has the power to govern that subsidiary. Serving as CEO here differs in that actions do not give more influence.
Altman expressed to investors his willingness to take back the reins as long as there is a new board and another structure. In parallel, he was holding talks to create a company in which he would have the dissidents of OpenAI.
