OpenAI chair faces up to Musk criticism
MWC25 BARCELONA: OpenAI chair Bret Taylor explained it would not be forced into strategic decisions following recent fierce criticism and threats by Elon Musk, emphasising its core mission remains the most important element.
In a keynote chat, Taylor said Musk’s criticism is not unexpected and is actually welcome, though explained the structure of OpenAI is less important than its mission to ensure artificial general intelligence benefits humanity.
Shifting from its current non-profit status would not impact its goal, he said.
The cost of development lies at the heart of OpenAI’s potential strategy shift. Taylor noted investments in compute continue “to bear fruit in terms of intelligence”, but hinted a for-profit model is the only way to be able to preserve or grow the funding required moving forward.
Taylor said the conversation at OpenAI focuses on how it can maintain its mission while “making sure that we’re setting ourselves up to be able to meet the demands of the investment we need to be able to build artificial general intelligence”.
Equally, he accepts the organisation’s mission puts it in a position where it will face criticism and have a responsibility to listen to it.
“I try not to be reflexively defensive about any criticism that comes our way”.
Taylor explained the goal of developing a technology which will benefit humanity must consider factors including job displacement, though he also noted AI can be a democratising force, offering access to levels of expertise which may otherwise prove costly for individuals or small businesses.
If AI costs too much, therefore, the benefits may not be readily available to all, creating a digital divide.
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