The board says it no longer believes he can head OpenAI. One of the most well-known names in artificial intelligence, Sam Altman, is being pushed out of OpenAI, the firm he co-founded that developed ChatGPT, after the board declared it no longer trusted him as a leader.
The acting chief executive officer of OpenAI will be Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati.
The board’s deliberate review process led to the conclusion that Mr. Altman was not always truthful in his discussions with the board, which made it more difficult for the board to carry out its duties. As a result, the business released a statement. “The board no longer believes he can lead OpenAI in the future.”
38-year-old Altman became an overnight sensation after OpenAI introduced ChatGPT to the world, getting him an audience with international dignitaries such as US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. He is a well-known member of the AI community who has spoken up for evangelists who have developed and pioneered AI technology while also warning about their potential to wipe out humankind.
Both people inside and outside the company were surprised by his departure: as of late Friday morning, according to a person familiar with the situation, Altman was still sending out frequent emails to staff members.
In his capacity as CEO, Altman made OpenAI the most significant AI business globally. Recently, negotiations to sell investor shares to employees at a $86 billion valuation took place within the corporation. Generative AI gained widespread recognition because to ChatGPT and OpenAI’s Dall-E picture generator. Both technologies use a technology that can generate text, graphics, and code when instructed, and can learn from enormous volumes of digital data.
Murati became CTO of OpenAI in 2018 after joining the company. The company released a statement stating, “The board believes she is uniquely qualified for the role and anticipates a seamless transition while it conducts a formal search for a permanent CEO given her long tenure and close engagement with all aspects of the company, including her experience in AI governance and policy.”
In addition, OpenAI co-founder and board chairman Greg Brockman is resigning from his position, while he will continue to lead the organization as president.
Following Altman’s departure, Microsoft Corp., which has invested $10 billion in OpenAI, saw a 2.4% decline. In a statement, the business claimed to have “a long-term connection with OpenAI and continues to be dedicated to their team as we introduce our clients to the upcoming AI age.
Founded in 2015, OpenAI sparked a wave of interest in AI technology with the introduction of ChatGPT almost a year ago. According to the company’s November report, over 90% of Fortune 500 companies are using OpenAI’s platform to power their tool development, and almost 100 million individuals utilize ChatGPT weekly. According to a Bloomberg story from August, the company, which sells its software to enterprises, is expected to generate approximately $1 billion in sales annually.
Meanwhile, well-funded competing solutions created at other startups and corporate behemoths, including Alphabet Inc.’s Google, are posing a rising threat to OpenAI.