OpenAI CEO and co-founder Sam Altman opened up about Elon Musk’s feud with him and his view of how rules associated to synthetic intelligence (AI) growth ought to be framed.
Altman appeared on an episode of The Free Press’ “Honestly with Bari Weiss” podcast that was launched Thursday and was requested by Weiss about why Musk has publicly criticized him over AI security considerations and sued to dam OpenAI from making a capped for-profit company construction after initially being based as a non-profit.
Musk was a co-founder of OpenAI however lower ties with the corporate in 2018 after he was unable to steer its different leaders to place him accountable for a for-profit OpenAI entity or merge the corporate with Tesla. Weiss famous that Musk has likened Altman to the “Little Finger” character who was an antagonist within the “Game of Thrones” sequence and that the xAI founder stated he doesn’t belief Altman to guide an organization that controls the world’s strongest AI.
“I think it’s because he wants the most powerful AI in the world to be controlled by him,” Altman stated. “And, again, I’ve seen Elon’s attacks to many other people, many friends of mine — everyone gets their period of time in his spotlight. But this all seems like standard behavior from him.”
“I’m upset by it, for sure. I was talking to someone recently who I did think of as close and they said, like, ‘Elon doesn’t have any friends. Elon doesn’t do peers, Elon doesn’t do friends.’ And that was sort of a sad moment for me, because I do think of him as a friend,” Altman stated.
“I can look at this somewhat dispassionately, like I remember what it was like when he said OpenAI has a 0% chance of success and you guys are idiots and I’m pulling funding and I’m going to do my own thing,” he continued.
“I remember what it was like when there were moments since then where it felt like he kinda wanted to reconcile and find a way to work together. And then I remember moments where he’s just like, you know, off doing his thing on Twitter. If it were only towards me, I think it would be much more painful,” Altman stated. “But you know, I think you see who he is on Twitter, so I can, like, hold it somewhat impersonally and just be like, this is about Elon, not about me. It still sucks, I’ve had a long time to get used to it, I guess.”
Weiss famous OpenAI’s latest weblog publish and court docket submitting pushing again on Musk’s lawsuit towards the corporate and requested Altman whether or not he thinks Musk is suing the corporate for aggressive functions to profit his agency, xAI, somewhat than real considerations about AI security or the ChatGPT-maker’s company construction.
Altman replied that she ought to ask Musk. He then went on to elucidate that he thinks overregulation of AI might have “huge negative consequences” however famous that he, Musk and different giant AI corporations have been supportive of regulation.
“Some regulation is clearly a good thing. Now, I can imagine versions of AI regulation that are really problematic and would disadvantage smaller efforts, and I think that would be a real mistake,” Altman defined. “But for some safety guardrails on the most powerful systems, that should only affect the people at the frontier, that should only affect OpenAI and a small handful of others. I don’t think we’re at the level yet where these systems have huge safety implications, but I don’t think we’re like wildly far away either, so that’s the sort of art here.”
Weiss requested Altman about arguments made by some AI startups that OpenAI and different bigger AI companies wish to construct regulatory limitations to smaller opponents that would develop into rivals. He replied that the one rules he’s calling for are on “new and untested” actions which might be on the frontier of AI growth.
Weiss adopted up by noting feedback made by Marc Andreessen on her podcast and his notion that the Biden administration was trying to manage AI and regulate it so there have been only some giant corporations that might work with the federal government and be shielded from competitors.
“I don’t think it’s true, I don’t know what he’s referencing. I also will say very, very clearly, I think regulation that reduces competition for AI is a very bad thing,” Altman stated. Weiss requested if OpenAI and different AI corporations had been assembly with the Biden administration to debate that type of regulatory association.
“I don’t even think like the Biden administration is competent is enough to… I mean, we were in a room with them, and other companies and the administration, but never like, ‘Here’s our conspiracy theory, we’re going to make it so only a few companies that can build AI and then you have to do what we say.’ Never anything like that,” Altman stated.
The OpenAI co-founder went on to say that he thought Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo was extra attuned to the emergence of AI and areas that have to be prioritized than the Biden administration general.
“I think Gina Raimondo was and is fantastic. Every conversation I had with her, I thought she kind of got it. Overall, I would say the administration was not that effective,” he stated.
“The things that I think should have been the administration’s priorities and I hope will be the next administration’s priorities are building out massive AI infrastructure in the U.S., having a supply chain in the U.S., things like that,” Altman defined.
