The recently appointed leader of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, announced on Monday that he plans to initiate an inquiry into the termination of co-founder Sam Altman and strive to improve the company’s leadership structure after a major reorganization that surprised the AI community.

After a weekend filled with excitement and uncertainty, there have been recent changes in the power dynamics at OpenAI. This organization’s chatbot was responsible for sparking the rise of generative artificial intelligence, creating content such as human-like text, images, video, and music.

The conclusion involved Emmett Shear, previous leader of Twitch, becoming the interim CEO of OpenAI. Microsoft also declared that Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman would be joining forces to head a new advanced AI research group.

Although there is tension between the main individuals involved with ChatGPT and the company that they assisted in creating, both Shear and Microsoft’s Chairman and CEO, Satya Nadella, announced on Twitter that they remain dedicated to their partnership.

Microsoft invested billions of dollars in the startup and helped provide the computing power to run its AI systems. Nadella wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he was “extremely excited” to bring on the former executives of OpenAI and looked “forward to getting to know” Shear and the rest of the management team.

Altman responded to X by stating that “the mission continues,” while Brockman expressed plans to create something new that will be amazing.

On Friday, OpenAI announced that Altman was removed from his position after a review revealed that he was not consistently open and honest in his communication with the board of directors. The board had also lost faith in his ability to effectively lead the company.

On Monday, Shear announced on X that he plans to employ an impartial investigator to examine the events leading up to Altman’s removal and produce a report within a month.

“It is evident that the handling of Sam’s removal and the communication regarding it has been poorly executed, causing a significant loss of trust,” expressed Shear, who was a co-founder of Twitch, a livestreaming service owned by Amazon that is popular among video game enthusiasts.

He stated that within the next month, he intends to revamp the management and leadership team to strengthen their effectiveness following recent departures. He also plans to communicate with employees, investors, and customers.

Following this, Shear stated that he intended to implement adjustments within the organization, which could potentially involve major changes in governance. He clarified that the decision to remove Altman from the board was not due to a particular disagreement regarding safety.

Last week, OpenAI refused to respond to inquiries regarding the undisclosed conduct of Altman. The organization stated that his actions were impeding the board’s ability to fulfill their duties.

A response was not received from an OpenAI spokesperson after an email was sent on Monday requesting a comment. A representative from Microsoft stated that the company will not be providing further comments aside from their CEO’s statement.

Following Altman’s departure on Friday, he sparked rumors of a potential return through a series of tweets. On Sunday, he shared a picture of himself with an OpenAI guest pass, stating that it would be his “first and last time” wearing one.

Earlier in the day, he posted on Twitter, expressing his admiration for the OpenAI team. This tweet prompted supportive responses from Brockman, who resigned after Altman’s dismissal, and Mira Murati, the company’s chief technology officer who was originally appointed as interim CEO.

It is unclear what occurred between the declaration of Murati’s temporary position on Friday and Shear’s recruitment. However, on Monday, she was one of the employees who tweeted, “OpenAI is nothing without its people.” Altman responded to several of these tweets with heart emojis.

Shear stated that he resigned from his position as CEO of Twitch due to the arrival of his 9-month-old son. However, he also mentioned that he accepted the role at OpenAI because he recognizes its significance as one of the most crucial companies in existence.

In the end, I believed it was my responsibility to offer assistance if possible, he posted on Twitter.

Altman had helped catapult ChatGPT to global fame and in the past year has become Silicon Valley’s most sought-after voice on the promise and potential dangers of artificial intelligence.

Earlier this year, he embarked on a global tour to converse with government representatives. His public appearances drew large audiences as he addressed the potential dangers of AI and efforts to regulate this developing technology.

On X, Altman shared on Friday that he greatly enjoyed his time at openai, but later referred to it as a strange encounter.

OpenAI has a licensing and technology agreement with The Associated Press, which grants them access to a portion of the AP’s text archives.

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Brian P. D. Hannon, a writer for the Associated Press, contributed from Bangkok.

Source: wral.com