Microsoft’s president, Brad Smith, clarified that the recent upheaval at OpenAI, the AI company, did not stem from concerns about AI safety. Despite speculation around the removal and subsequent reinstatement of OpenAI boss Sam Altman, Smith emphasized that the issue was not fundamentally related to safety worries.
Microsoft, a major investor in OpenAI, had offered Altman a position before his return to the company. The incident shed light on how commercial competition influences AI development and its rapid evolution. Contrary to claims by figures like Elon Musk, Smith asserted that the partnership between OpenAI and Microsoft remains robust after the restructuring of the board.
The saga unfolded as Altman, a co-founder of OpenAI and a key figure in the ChatGPT project, faced termination by the board, only to be reinstated after a significant outcry from over 700 OpenAI employees threatening to move to Microsoft if he wasn’t reinstated.
No clear reason has been provided for the dismissal, aside from the board’s statement citing a lack of consistent candor in communications, leading to a loss of confidence in his leadership. During an event in London to announce a £2.5bn investment in advanced data centers for AI in the UK, Mr. Smith expressed optimism about the country benefiting from innovation and competition between tech giants.
He reassured that fears of AI surpassing human capabilities within the next year were unfounded, emphasizing it would likely take years, if not decades, for artificial general intelligence to outpace human capabilities.
