OpenAI’s Sam Altman has dispelled some of the rumors that the company had already started development on ChatGPT-5, just a month after its GPT-4 launch. In a virtual event at MIT hosted by AI researcher Lex Fridman, Altman responded to an Open Letter which asked for the implementation of a six month pause on AI progress. Altman noted that this was inaccurate as OpenAI is not, and will not be for a long time, working on GPT-5. Despite that statement, not everyone is calmed by his words.
OpenAI is a technology company based in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 2015 with the mission of conducting research to develop artificial general intelligence, often referred to as “AGI”. OpenAI is largely funded by tech giant Microsoft, and the company has recently partnered with them to develop natural language processing systems. OpenAI is driven by a number of core beliefs and principles, including making human health and safety its top priority, and their goal of creating a partnership between AI and people.
Sam Altman is a computer scientist and entrepreneur, who is presently President of Y Combinator and Co-founder of OpenAI. He is also a part of the team of leaders and researchers at OpenAI, who have helped shape the modern landscape of AI research. He is an advocate of the development of safe and ethical AI, and has taken a stance on the need to prioritize safety in AI progress.
Altman is quick to note that OpenAI spends six months training GPT-4, ensuring safety protocols before its public launch. However, recently released components of GPT-4 are likely to raise safety and data privacy concern. For example, in late March OpenAI released a plugin for GPT-4 which grants the model web-browsing capabilities. Due to these changes, and their lack of transparency in their GPT-4 training, it is uncertain whether OpenAI is actually prioritizing user safety.
OpenAI’s Sam Altman has provided a necessary, albeit incomplete, response to the Open Letter that is meant to ease the public’s fears surrounding AI progress. Despite his statements concerning safety, the company’s lack of transparency for their GPT-4 training, as well as their recent product innovations, can make it hard for users to believe in their safety measures. As a result, many are still left feeling frustrated and confused about the future of AI and apprehensive about what will come next.
