OpenAI adjusts strategy to address challenges following departure of security executives

2024-05-20

After the departure of OpenAI's co-founders and chief scientists Ilya Sutskever and Jan Leike, the company is actively adjusting its strategy to mitigate potential impacts caused by changes in the core security team. These two scientists previously led the company's "Alignment Team," which focused on ensuring the safety of future advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems. According to internal sources, while Sutskever's departure was driven by personal pursuits in other projects, Leike made a statement on social media highlighting his disagreement with the OpenAI leadership regarding the company's security strategy, particularly the priority of artificial general intelligence (AGI). Leike emphasized that the company should prioritize the safety implications of AGI and make it a core focus for future development. In response to this change, OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman and President Greg Brockman quickly issued a joint statement on social media, expressing the company's full awareness of the potential risks and opportunities associated with AGI. They emphasized that OpenAI has been committed to establishing a strong security foundation to ensure the deployment of secure AI systems. Furthermore, OpenAI has appointed co-founder John Schulman, who specializes in large-scale language models, as the new Head of Science to organize and guide the company's safety alignment work. This measure aims to maintain a high level of attention to the safety of AI systems while pursuing technological innovation. Despite the recent departures of other members of the Alignment Team, OpenAI still has multiple teams dedicated to AI safety and a preparedness team specifically responsible for analyzing and mitigating potential catastrophic risks associated with AI systems. These teams will continue to provide robust security support to the company. Meanwhile, Altman expressed his support for the establishment of an international institution to regulate AI technology in a recent podcast interview, in order to address potential global hazards. This viewpoint demonstrates that OpenAI not only focuses on technological development but also recognizes the global impact and responsibility of AI technology. Overall, despite internal changes, OpenAI is actively taking measures to ensure the safety and controllability of its AI systems. As AI technology continues to evolve, OpenAI will continue to strive for technological innovation while ensuring the security and reliability of the technology.