Open Chat About OpenAI

Gigi Kim

The rise of OpenAI has heralded a new era of artificial intelligence and revolutionized technology. OpenAI is a nonprofit artificial general intelligence research company founded by Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, Wojciech Zaremba and John Schulman in December 2015. In its early years, OpenAI conducted accelerated experimentation and research on machine learning while rapidly attracting AI researchers by offering meaningful opportunities to be at the forefront of AI advancement. Microsoft Research Vice President Peter Lee even stated that the cost of a top AI researcher exceeds the cost of a top NFL quarterback prospect. The culmination of OpenAI’s commitment to ethics, early transparency and accessible research was a leading constituent to the success of the company and its contribution to AI development. 

The term, artificial intelligence, or AI, has become increasingly prevalent in our daily lives. OpenAI has defined itself in the context of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), a subset form of artificial intelligence that allows machines to perform with the same capabilities as those of humans. OpenAI claims their mission is to ensure that AGI “benefits all of humanity,” which has sparked numerous debates on the ethics of AGI, as well as critics calling for transparency in AGI research and development. The role of AGI can be seen in many fields of work, aiding and assisting us in a variety of tasks. As the rapid permeation of AGI makes its way into our everyday functions, amidst the risks, there are numerous ways they have benefited things for the better. In the medical field, robots that operate off of AGI have helped surgeons perform more precise and risky surgeries. In the military defense, AGI has enabled the development of more efficient AI software and technology. 

In early March of this year, Tesla and SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman. Musk alleged that the company had breached and abandoned their original mission statement to develop AI for the benefit of humanity, instead opting to pursue profits. Musk, who had been one of the original co-founders of OpenAI, left the startup in early 2018, due to a cited conflict of interest with SpaceX and Tesla Motors, as well as disagreements over the direction OpenAI was heading. During that time, Tesla was also actively pursuing the development of AI technologies for autonomous driving systems, leading to Musk leaving OpenAI over concerns of potential conflicts.

As artificial intelligence permeates numerous aspects of our lives, taking the form of  chatbots and virtual assistants, it’s essential to take into account the ethical ramifications of abuse and misuse of AI technologies. In February 2024, OpenAI announced Sora, a text-to-video AI model. Currently, Sora is not accessible to the public, but it is set to be publicly available in late 2024. Only a select group of visual artists, designers and filmmakers have access to Sora, but it has already sparked numerous debates over the ethicality of the public gaining access to producing hyperrealistic content. Artificial intelligence has already led to the proliferation of deepfake images and videos, facilitating sexual exploitation, deceptive misinformation and other forms of malicious manipulation. As we continue to garner more access to forms of AI, people are pushing for stricter regulation of AI software accessibility.