OpenAI employees have threatened to leave the firm en masse due to concerns raised by the appointment of former CEO Sam Altman to a role within Microsoft. The association, which focuses on artificial intelligence, was founded by Elon Musk, Altman, and other tech executives in 2015.
The employees, comprised of both scientists and engineers, first addressed their concerns in a post on Medium. In the post, they drew attention to the Silicon Valley firm’s involvement in Microsoft’s lucrative military contracts and in project M (*Project M was a reference to a joint project between Microsoft and the US military, focused on using AI to assist in the operations of the US Military). The post also noted the “vastly larger financials capacity which Microsoft strives for” and the “potentially compromising stance of its corporate influence.”
The employees made it clear that they viewed Altman’s move to Microsoft as a threat to OpenAI’s mission. They voiced their concerns and stated that they would take action which could include leaving the firm unless Altman was removed from his role at Microsoft and the organization’s direction shifted.
OpenAi has responded to the threats by stating that it respects the opinions of its staff and is willing to listen to their concerns. Despite this, however, the firm has yet to remove Altman from his role at Microsoft or change the direction of the organization. In the meantime, the situation remains unresolved and the employees’ threat of quitting en masse has yet to be realized.
Nevertheless, the news of OpenAI employees threatening to leave stands as a warning to the ideals of a company founded to promote the advancement of artificial intelligence with ethics and transparency. As this controversy continues, OpenAI and Microsoft may continue to face the consequences of their actions.
OpenAI employees have threatened to leave the firm en masse due to concerns raised by the appointment of former CEO Sam Altman to a role within Microsoft. The association, which focuses on artificial intelligence, was founded by Elon Musk, Altman, and other tech executives in 2015.
The employees, comprised of both scientists and engineers, first addressed their concerns in a post on Medium. In the post, they drew attention to the Silicon Valley firm’s involvement in Microsoft’s lucrative military contracts and in project M (*Project M was a reference to a joint project between Microsoft and the US military, focused on using AI to assist in the operations of the US Military). The post also noted the “vastly larger financials capacity which Microsoft strives for” and the “potentially compromising stance of its corporate influence.”
The employees made it clear that they viewed Altman’s move to Microsoft as a threat to OpenAI’s mission. They voiced their concerns and stated that they would take action which could include leaving the firm unless Altman was removed from his role at Microsoft and the organization’s direction shifted.
OpenAi has responded to the threats by stating that it respects the opinions of its staff and is willing to listen to their concerns. Despite this, however, the firm has yet to remove Altman from his role at Microsoft or change the direction of the organization. In the meantime, the situation remains unresolved and the employees’ threat of quitting en masse has yet to be realized.
Nevertheless, the news of OpenAI employees threatening to leave stands as a warning to the ideals of a company founded to promote the advancement of artificial intelligence with ethics and transparency. As this controversy continues, OpenAI and Microsoft may continue to face the consequences of their actions.
