Tech lords have been making a lot of noise recently, using the threat of pulling services as leverage against European regulators. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, recently added to this chorus of warnings as he toured the region trying to shape the EU’s upcoming AI Act. Altman threatened that OpenAI may be forced to “cease operating” in the EU due to the complexities of the Act’s high-risk systems and generative models provisions.
OpenAI is one of many tech companies to issue a scary warning in order to get its way. In the past, companies have threatened to stop providing services in the region or withdraw their products altogether. Unfortunately, these threats often turn out to be empty rhetoric, and European lawmakers are growing tired of the so-called “boys crying wolf”.
Although OpenAI has yet to back down from their threats, if tech companies want to be taken seriously, they will need to follow through once in a while and accept that they can’t always get what they want.
OpenAI is a San Francisco-based company that develops Artificial Intelligence software. It is funded by a variety of high profile investor including billionaires like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel. The company is led by CEO and co-founder Sam Altman. Altman is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur who is known for launching Y Combinator, a startup accelerator. He has been an advocate for using AI ethically, and has often spoken out about the need for the responsible regulation of AI technologies.
