As world leaders met to discuss AI safety, one of the biggest companies in the sector was in turmoil.
Our look back at the big tech stories of 2023 turns to November when the UK held an international AI safety summit and OpenAI, a prominent AI company, experienced internal upheaval.
The UK government’s AI safety summit took place at Bletchley Park, the historic World War Two code-breaking headquarters in Buckinghamshire. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak aimed to position the UK as a central player in regulating artificial intelligence systems worldwide.
The summit resulted in the signing of the Bletchley Declaration, an agreement among 28 countries to collaboratively address the opportunities and risks associated with AI. Notably, both the US and China, amidst their ongoing tech trade war, signed the declaration, marking a diplomatic success. The specifics of the agreement, however, remain somewhat vague.
Aside from the political declarations, tech leaders were interested in the announcement of a new £225m supercomputer that will be built at the University of Bristol. Hewlett Packard Enterprise was chosen to deliver this high-performance machine, which will be accessible to businesses and researchers seeking to harness AI’s power.
Additionally, Prime Minister Sunak provided further details about the UK’s upcoming AI safety institute. However, the US government simultaneously revealed its plans to establish a similar organization, somewhat overshadowing the UK’s efforts. Nevertheless, Sunak managed to secure commitments from prominent AI labs, including OpenAI and Anthropic, to submit their AI models for inspection and testing by the safety institute, although the practical implications of this arrangement are still unclear.
In a dramatic turn of events, OpenAI experienced internal conflict as its CEO, Sam Altman, was fired and subsequently rehired. The company’s board cited Altman’s lack of transparency in communications as the reason for his dismissal. Altman had been leading OpenAI’s profit-making division, while the board held responsibilities related to the non-profit side, which focused on developing safe advanced generative AI. Tensions arising from these conflicting objectives ultimately led to Altman’s ousting.
CTO Mira Murati temporarily assumed the role of CEO, but the decision did not sit well with OpenAI employees who publicly expressed their support for Altman on social media. Shortly thereafter, Altman and OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman announced their departure from the company to join Microsoft. Microsoft’s significant investment in OpenAI’s technology made the move seem natural. Altman and Brockman were entrusted with leading a new AI team at Microsoft.
Reacting to this development, the team at OpenAI penned an open letter to the company’s board, threatening to leave and join Altman at Microsoft unless he was reinstated as CEO. After intense negotiations lasting 24 hours, Altman was indeed reinstated, surrounded by a new group of directors headed by former Salesforce CEO Bret Taylor. The reinstatement indicates that OpenAI is set to renew its commercial focus heading into 2024.
The November events at the AI safety summit highlighted the global discussions around AI regulation and the complexities faced by both policymakers and industry leaders. The tensions within OpenAI added a touch of intrigue, reflecting the intense competition and shifting alliances in the AI sector. As the AI revolution continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how countries and companies will navigate the opportunities and risks associated with this rapidly evolving technology.
