from the everybody's-so-different-I-haven't-changed dept.
OpenAI is today unrecognizable, with multi-billion-dollar deals and corporate partnerships:
OpenAI is at the center of a chatbot arms race, with the public release of ChatGPT and a multi-billion-dollar Microsoft partnership spurring Google and Amazon to rush to implement AI in products. OpenAI has also partnered with Bain to bring machine learning to Coca-Cola's operations, with plans to expand to other corporate partners.
There's no question that OpenAI's generative AI is now big business. It wasn't always planned to be this way.
[...] While the firm has always looked toward a future where AGI exists, it was founded on commitments including not seeking profits and even freely sharing code it develops, which today are nowhere to be seen.
OpenAI was founded in 2015 as a nonprofit research organization by Altman, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman, among other tech leaders. In its founding statement, the company declared its commitment to research "to advance digital intelligence in the way that is most likely to benefit humanity as a whole, unconstrained by a need to generate financial return." The blog stated that "since our research is free from financial obligations, we can better focus on a positive human impact," and that all researchers would be encouraged to share "papers, blog posts, or code, and our patents (if any) will be shared with the world."
Now, eight years later, we are faced with a company that is neither transparent nor driven by positive human impact, but instead, as many critics including co-founder Musk have argued, is powered by speed and profit. And this company is unleashing technology that, while flawed, is still poised to increase some elements of workplace automation at the expense of human employees. Google, for example, has highlighted the efficiency gains from AI that autocompletes code, as it lays off thousands of workers.
[...] With all of this in mind, we should all carefully consider whether OpenAI deserves the trust it's asking for the public to give.
OpenAI did not respond to a request for comment.
« Software Engineers are Showing a Strong Preference for Remote Work, According to Survey | China Leads the US in the Research of 37 Out of 44 Critical Technologies, Claims Think Tank »
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On Wednesday, the Future of Life Institute published an open letter on its website calling on AI labs to "immediately pause for at least 6 months the training of AI systems more powerful than GPT-4." Signed by Elon Musk and several prominent AI researchers, the letter quickly began to draw attention in the press—and some criticism on social media.
Earlier this month, OpenAI released GPT-4, an AI model that can perform compositional tasks and allegedly pass standardized tests at a human level, although those claims are still being evaluated by research. Regardless, GPT-4 and Bing Chat's advancement in capabilities over previous AI models spooked some experts who believe we are heading toward super-intelligent AI systems faster than previously expected.
See Also: FTC Should Stop OpenAI From Launching New GPT Models, Says AI Policy Group
Related:
OpenAI Is Now Everything It Promised Not to Be: Corporate, Closed-Source, and For-Profit (March 2023)
OpenAI's New ChatGPT Bot: 10 "Dangerous" Things it's Capable of (Dec. 2022)
Elon Musk Says There Needs to be Universal Basic Income (Aug. 2021)
Tesla Unveils Chip to Train A.I. Models Inside its Data Centers (Aug. 2021)
Elon Musk Reveals Plans to Unleash a Humanoid Tesla Bot (Aug. 2021)
Tesla Unveils its New Supercomputer (5th Most Powerful in the World) to Train Self-Driving AI (June 2021)
OpenAI Has Released the Largest Version Yet of its Fake-News-Spewing AI (Sept. 2019)
There's Still Time To Prevent Biased AI From Taking Over The World (May 2019)
The New Prometheus: Google CEO Says AI is More Profound than Electricity or Fire (Feb. 2018)
OpenAI Bot Bursts Into the Ring, Humiliates Top Dota 2 Pro Gamer in 'Scary' One-on-One Bout (Aug. 2017)
Elon Musk: Mark Zuckerberg's Understanding of AI is "Limited" (July 2017)
AI Software Learns to Make AI Software (Jan. 2017)
Elon Musk, Stephen Hawking Win Luddite Award as AI "Alarmists" (Jan. 2016)
Elon Musk and Friends Launch OpenAI (Dec. 2015)
Musk, Wozniak and Hawking Warn Over AI Warfare and Autonomous Weapons (July 2015)
More Warnings of an AI Doomsday — This Time From Stephen Hawking (Dec. 2014)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 05, @04:07AM
Oh please! It's silly to even consider such a thing, but they already have it, resistance is futile
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 05, @04:41AM (2 children)
If it was a non-profit entity releasing everything as open source, there would be endless screeching about the ethical consequences of AI being misused by the peasants.
(Score: 3, Touché) by richtopia on Sunday March 05, @05:58PM (1 child)
Or North Korea. Imagine the security risk of a rogue state being able to write almost plausible screenplays!
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 05, @06:20PM
I think the storyline would get old. Beloved leader gets cheated by low class swine, but heroically saves the nation. Again. In 4 short hours of monologue.
(Score: 5, Informative) by bradley13 on Sunday March 05, @09:28AM (6 children)
Remember when Google had the unofficial slogan "don't be evil"? Success and $billions tend to distract people and organizations from their ethics...
Everyone is somebody else's weirdo.
(Score: 2) by captain normal on Sunday March 05, @05:15PM (2 children)
I seem to remember that big time religious leader once said "The love of money is the root of all evil".
"It is easier to fool someone than it is to convince them that they have been fooled" Mark Twain
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 05, @06:22PM
Turns out that the riches and wealth were the reward for the pious rich and wealthy who donated the nice new gold pillars.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by mcgrew on Sunday March 05, @09:29PM
1 Timothy 7-10: For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
And having food and raimentlet us be therewith content.
But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Carbon, The only element in the known universe to ever gain sentience
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Monday March 06, @02:39AM (2 children)
"Don't be evil" isn't a slogan.
It's an admonition, aimed at users.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 2) by Ox0000 on Monday March 06, @05:31PM (1 child)
It is, and always have been the same. They didn't drop a word.
They just inserted one comma:
"Don't, be evil"
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Monday March 06, @06:03PM
That too....
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Sunday March 05, @06:03PM (2 children)
Yeah... Nice bunch of philanthropes right there...
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 05, @10:27PM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 06, @12:01AM
You would think that because it supports your bias.
Unfortunately, the reality is some of those people exited the project. Musk for sure and Thiel just invested money in 2015, that's it.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 06, @12:17AM
You didn't want woke and censored AI that is priced per token? Really?
This is an "AI Ethics" problem. Many people cut from YOUR cloth are now censoring and restricting you from AI and planning to use it against you.
They are writing papers on how AI needs to be filtered for saying the wrong things and how you shouldn't be allowed to buy high powered GPUs anymore.
What if it teaches you to make bombs or worse.. says racist things. God forbid it writes lewd fan-fics. The HORROR!
Call me some names and feel better. Mark me a troll. At least while you still can.
If they can create a seamless bi-direction filter, you will never get to see unapproved opinions online again. Everything is going to be sunshine and positivity.
And don't worry.. I'm sure basic income is going to replace that job you had. If it doesn't, you can yell about it on the street, because you won't get to say it online.