OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently completed a tour in Africa and Europe promoting his version of AI and AI rules. During his tour, he made headlines when he warned that tough EU laws could lead to OpenAI leaving the continent. However, in a recent tweet, Altman reversed his stance and said that OpenAI has no plans to leave Europe.
The “Threat”
Altman’s initial threat of quitting Europe had drawn criticism from EU industry chief, Thierry Breton and a host of other lawmakers. Altman has spent the past week going around Europe. He met top politicians in France, Spain, Poland, Germany, and the UK to discuss the future of AI and the progress of ChatGPT.
Gizchina News of the week
The U-Turn
Altman’s reversal came after he met with EU regulators to discuss the AI act as part of his tour. He said that OpenAI had “a lot” of criticisms of the way the act was being prepared, but that the company would try to comply with the laws. Altman called his tour a “very productive week of conversations in Europe about how to best regulate AI!”.
The Future
OpenAI is preparing, in 2024, to begin making public interventions on the topic of wealth redistribution, in much the same way that it is currently doing on AI regulatory policy. Altman says that the team is working on “better, smarter, cheaper, faster, more capable models”. OpenAI and ChatGPT’s success has also led to more competition, but Altman views competition as a good thing.
Conclusion
Sam Altman’s recent statement that OpenAI has no plans to leave Europe is a welcome relief to the AI community. Altman’s initial threat had caused concern among EU regulators and lawmakers. But his reversal shows that OpenAI is committed to complying with the regulations. OpenAI’s future plans to make public interventions on the topic of wealth redistribution. It will also work on better AI models and show that the company is dedicated to advancing the field of AI.
