New twist in the world of artificial intelligence (AI): Microsoft announced Monday that it was hiring Sam Altman, the co-founder and former number one of OpenAI, the start-up behind ChatGPT, whose dismissal surprised Friday.
Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, both co-founders of OpenAI, “will join, with other colleagues, Microsoft to lead a new research team in AI”, wrote its boss, Satya Nadella, on Twitter).
“The mission continues“, reacted, on the same social network, Sam Altman, who at 38 years old is considered a star of Silicon Valley.
“We’re going to build something new and it will be amazing“, added Greg Brockman on X, announcing the recruitment for this new project within Microsoft of several other important OpenAI collaborators, whose names he cites.
“We remain committed to our partnership with OpenAI and are confident in the planned roadmap for our product“, however added Mr. Nadella, whose company has invested several billion dollars in the computing technologies necessary for OpenAI and has integrated this technology into its own products, such as the Bing search engine.
Emmett Shear, for his part, clarified on X that his decision was made “in a few hours”, referring to “the opportunity of a lifetime”.
“I accepted this position because I believe OpenAI is one of the most important companies there is today. When the board of directors informed me of the situation and asked me to take on this role, I did not take the decision lightly“, he commented.
He plans to launch an independent investigation within 30 days to shed light on the dismissal of Sam Altman and the upheavals within the start-up.
These announcements come after a tumultuous weekend: the OpenAI board of directors created a surprise on Friday by announcing the dismissal with immediate effect of Sam Altman following “a deliberative review procedure by the board, which concluded that he had not always been candid in his communications with the board, hindering his ability to fulfill his responsibilities.”
This body no longer has “confidence in its ability to lead OpenAI,” she added.
“Lack of transparency”
Several managers of the company founded at the end of 2015 have since announced their resignations, in particular the chairman of the board of directors Greg Brockman.
“OpenAI is nothing without its collaborators,” many employees posted on X on Monday.
On Sunday, the Wall Street Journal claimed that major investors in the company, led by Microsoft and venture capital firm Thrive Capital, were “making efforts to bring back Sam Altman.”
Microsoft and Thrive are OpenAI’s two biggest backers, but “other investors in the company are supporting their efforts,” the paper added.
THE New York Times published elements of the same content. But, according to several media, the board of directors confirmed its decision on Sunday.
This departure is “the only way to move forward and defend OpenAI’s mission,” the board of directors (CA) wrote in a memo sent to its employees Sunday evening, according to a New York Times article published in the night from Sunday to Monday.
“Sam’s behavior and his lack of transparency in his interactions with the board of directors undermined his ability to effectively lead the company in the manner in which he was mandated to do,” added the CA in the memo cited by the newspaper.
The first version of ChatGPT going live on November 30, 2022 kicked off a race in artificial intelligence. Widely considered a revolution comparable to the advent of the internet, generative AI makes it possible to produce texts, lines of code, images and sounds upon simple request in everyday language.
It also raises serious concerns about the dangers for democracy (massive disinformation) or employment (replaced professions), in particular.