DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ OpenAI puts flirty ChatGPT voice that sounds like ScarJo in ‘Her’ on hold
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Brian Fung | Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —OpenAI says it’s hitting the pause button on a synthetic voice released with an update to ChatGPT that prompted comparisons with a fictional voice assistant portrayed in the quasi-dystopian film “Her” by actor Scarlett Johansson. “We’ve heard questions about how we chose the voices in ChatGPT, especially Sky,” OpenAI said in a post on X Monday. A spokesperson for the company said that structure would help OpenAI better achieve its safety objectives. OpenAI President Greg Brockman responded in a longer post on Saturday, which was signed with both his name and Altman’s, laying out the company’s approach to long-term AI safety. “We have raised awareness of the risks and opportunities of AGI so that the world can better prepare for it,” Brockman said.

Persons: New York CNN — OpenAI, Scarlett Johansson, OpenAI, “ We’ve, ” OpenAI, “, Desi Lydic, ”, ” Lydic, Joaquin Phoenix, Everett, Sam Altman, Johansson, Jan Leike, Ilya Sutskever, Altman, Leike, Greg Brockman, ” Brockman Organizations: New, New York CNN, Daily, Warner Bros ., White, CNN Locations: New York, ChatGPT, OpenAI

☆ Scarlett Johansson says OpenAI ripped off her voice after she told the company not to use it in software
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Jennifer Elias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

ROME, ITALY - NOVEMBER 10: Actor Scarlett Johansson attends 'Her' Premiere during The 8th Rome Film Festival at Auditorium Parco Della Musica on November 10, 2013 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)Actor Scarlett Johansson says OpenAI CEO Sam Altman used a voice similar to hers for its artificial intelligence voice software despite declining his invitation for its use. "Sky's voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson but belongs to a different professional actress using her own natural speaking voice," the company wrote in a blog post on Sunday. Two days before the ChatGPT 4.0 demo was released, Mr. Altman contacted my agent, asking me to reconsider. Consequently, OpenAI reluctantly agreed to take down the "Sky" voice.

Persons: Scarlett Johansson, Vittorio Zunino Celotto, Sam Altman, OpenAI, Johansson, Altman, Samantha, " Johansson, Mr, Walt Disney, We've, OpenAI didn't, Scarlett Johansson's Organizations: Parco, Musica, CNBC, Disney, Microsoft Locations: ROME, ITALY, Rome, Italy, ChatGPT

OpenAI’s fear factorThe tech world’s collective eyebrows rose last week when Ilya Sutskever, the OpenAI co-founder who briefly led a rebellion against Sam Altman, resigned as chief scientist. “Safety culture and processes have taken a backseat to shiny products,” Jan Leike, who resigned from OpenAI last week, wrote on the social network X. Along with Sutskever, Leike oversaw the company’s so-called superalignment team, which was tasked with making sure products didn’t become a threat to humanity. Sutskever said in his departing note that he was confident OpenAI would build artificial general intelligence — A.I. Leike spoke for many safety-first OpenAI employees, according to Vox.

Persons: Ilya Sutskever, Sam Altman, hadn’t, ” Jan Leike, Sutskever, Leike, —, Vox, Daniel Kokotajlo, Altman Organizations: OpenAI, C.E.O

☆ Scarlett Johansson’s Statement About Her Interactions With Sam Altman
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Here is Scarlett Johansson’s statement on Monday:“Last September, I received an offer from Sam Altman, who wanted to hire me to voice the current ChatGPT 4.0 system. Nine months later, my friends, family and the general public all noted how much the newest system named ‘Sky’ sounded like me. Mr. Altman even insinuated that the similarity was intentional, tweeting a single word, ‘her’ — a reference to the film in which I voiced a chat system, Samantha, who forms an intimate relationship with a human. “Two days before the ChatGPT 4.0 demo was released, Mr. Altman contacted my agent, asking me to reconsider. Consequently, OpenAI reluctantly agreed to take down the ‘Sky’ voice.

Persons: Scarlett Johansson’s, Sam Altman, Altman, Samantha, OpenAI

☆ Sam Altman addresses 'potential equity cancellation' in OpenAI exit agreements after 2 high-profile departures
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-19 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

OpenAI's exit agreements had nondisparagement clauses threatening vested equity, Vox reported. Sam Altman said on X that the company never enforced it, and that he was unaware of the provision. Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementOpenAI employees who left the company without signing a non-disparagement agreement could have lost vested equity if they did not comply — but the policy was never used, CEO Sam Altman said on Saturday.

Persons: Vox, Sam Altman, —, Superalignment, Jan Leike, Ilya Sutskever Organizations: Service, Vox News, Business

Read previewLegal challenges by conservative lawmakers and activists against guaranteed basic income programs are heating up nationwide. Guaranteed basic income programs differ from their idealistic cousin — a universal basic income. AdvertisementWhile localized guaranteed basic income programs are tiny compared to a nationwide universal basic income, they are the subject of no less conservative opposition. Local politicians in places like South Dakota and Arizona have moved to block basic income programs for this reason alone. AdvertisementWhile these arguments appear to support giving basic income payments to a broader group of people, it's unlikely many conservatives would actually support a universal basic income.

Persons: —, Andrew Yang, Sam Altman, Republican Sen, John Wiik, Kathryn Blankenberg, Ken Paxton, Paxton, It's Organizations: Service, Business, Republican, Judicial Watch, American Civil Rights, Texas Locations: South Dakota, Arizona, Dakota, San Francisco, Texas, Houston, Harris County

☆ AI 'godfather' Geoffrey Hinton says he's 'very worried' about AI taking jobs and has advised the British government to adopt a universal basic income
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Read previewSome say AI will be a great equalizer. And he believes a universal basic income might be the solution. "I advised them that universal basic income was a good idea." AdvertisementOpenAI CEO Sam Altman — who's been racing to develop artificial general intelligence — is running his own experiment around a universal basic income, the results of which he expects to release soon. He also recently floated the idea of a "universal basic compute."

Persons: —, Geoffrey Hinton, It's, Hinton, Sam Altman — who's, Altman Organizations: Service, BBC, Business Locations: Downing, South Africa, Kenya, India, United States

☆ OpenAI founders Sam Altman and Greg Brockman go on the defensive after top safety researchers quit
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

OpenAI's Ilya Sutskever and Jan Leike, who led a team focused on AI safety, resigned. Founders Sam Altman and Greg Brockman are now scrambling to reassure everyone. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementTwo of OpenAI's founders, CEO Sam Altman and President Greg Brockman, are on the defensive after a shake-up in the company's safety department this week. Sutskever and Leike led OpenAI's super alignment team, which was focused on developing AI systems compatible with human interests.

Persons: OpenAI's Ilya Sutskever, Jan Leike, Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, —, Ilya Sutskever, Leike Organizations: Service, Business

☆ Sam Altman has found himself using GPT-4o in a 'surprisingly cool' way while working
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

OpenAI announced its latest flagship model, GPT-4o, on Monday. CEO Sam Altman says he's found a helpful way to use the AI while working. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has also found it helpful in another way, as he outlined during an episode of the podcast The Logan Bartlett Show published Tuesday. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: OpenAI, Sam Altman, he's, —, Logan Bartlett Organizations: Service, Business

☆ Opinion: The latest version of ChatGPT is creepy — and appealing
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Opinion Jeff Yang | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Jeff Yang CNNLike its predecessors, GPT-4o is trained on enormous quantities of data to process queries, recognize patterns and deliver helpful responses. Watching the reveal, I found myself involuntarily gasping as researchers Mark Chen and Barret Zoph showed off GPT-4o’s new chops. The freakout aspect of the reveal came from how it demonstrated that GPT-4o isn’t just a tool — it’s a tool with personality. On the one hand, having the option to interrupt your AI chatbot when it’s going astray saves time. On the other, watching dudes repeatedly talking over a female-reading chatbot made it abundantly clear why you can’t spell “mansplain” without AI.

Persons: Jeff Yang, Bruce ”, “, Jeff Yang CNN, Mark Chen, Barret Zoph, Chen, Mira Murati, Parmy Olson, ”, Desi Lydic, …, Sam Altman, it’s, Siri, ” chuckling, Altman, Spike Jonze’s, Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Marc Benioff, Johansson, chatbot, mansplain Organizations: CNN, omni, Zoph . Media, Bloomberg, “, Twitter, Boston Dynamics Locations: Asian America, America, omnimodal

☆ OpenAI dissolves team focused on long-term AI risks, less than one year after announcing it
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The news comes days after both team leaders, OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever and Jan Leike, announced their departures from the Microsoft-backed startup. OpenAI's Superalignment team, announced last year, has focused on "scientific and technical breakthroughs to steer and control AI systems much smarter than us." "I joined because I thought OpenAI would be the best place in the world to do this research," Leike wrote on X. Leike wrote that he believes much more of the company's bandwidth should be focused on security, monitoring, preparedness, safety and societal impact. The update brings the GPT-4 model to everyone, including OpenAI's free users, technology chief Mira Murati said Monday in a livestreamed event.

Persons: Sam Altman, OpenAI, Ilya Sutskever, Jan Leike, OpenAI's, Leike, Altman, Sutskever, Helen Toner, Tasha McCauley, Adam D'Angelo, Ilya, Jakub Pachocki, Mira Murati, Murati Organizations: OpenAI, Hope, CNBC, Microsoft, Wired, Tuesday, Wall Street Locations: Atlanta, Leike, OpenAI

☆ Sam Altman says he can't go out to eat in public anymore in San Francisco: 'It's a strangely isolating way to live'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Sarah Jackson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is one of the biggest names in the AI industry. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementSam Altman is one of the best-known names in AI, but he wasn't prepared for just how much he'd be recognized in public. The OpenAI CEO reflected on the privacy and anonymity he's lost as a result of his job during an episode of the podcast The Logan Bartlett Show, published Tuesday. It's like a much weirder thing.

Persons: Sam Altman, San Francisco —, —, wasn't, he's, Logan Bartlett, would've Organizations: Service Locations: San Francisco

☆ Ex-OpenAI exec calls out Sam Altman for choosing 'shiny products' over AI safety
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Paul Squire | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A top OpenAI executive researching safety quit on Tuesday. Adding that Sam Altman's company was prioritizing "shiny products" over safety. AdvertisementA former top safety executive at OpenAI is laying it all out. "Over the past years, safety culture and processes have taken a backseat to shiny products," Leike wrote in a lengthy thread on X on Friday. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: Jan Leike, Sam Altman's, —, Leike, OpenAI Organizations: Service, Business

☆ More OpenAI drama: Exec quits over concerns about focus on profit over safety
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —A departing OpenAI executive focused on safety is raising concerns about the company on his way out the door. His resignation followed an announcement by OpenAI Co-Founder and Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever, who also helped lead the superalignment team, on Tuesday that he would leave the company. The technology will make ChatGPT more like a digital personal assistant, capable of real-time spoken conversations. “i’m super appreciative of @janleike’s contributions to openai’s alignment research and safety culture, and very sad to see him leave,” Altman said. i’ll have a longer post in the next couple of days.”–CNN’s Samantha Delouya contributed to this report.

Persons: Jan Leike, superalignment, OpenAI, “, Leike, ”, Ilya Sutskever, Sutskever, Sam Altman, Altman, Kara Swisher, ” Leike, ” Altman, ” –, Samantha Delouya Organizations: New, New York CNN, OpenAI, CNN Locations: New York, ChatGPT

☆ Some A.I. Companies Face a New Accusation: ‘Open Washing’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Sarah Kessler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration is investigating the risks and benefits of open source models. Proponents of open source A.I. models say they’re more equitable and safer for society, while detractors say they are more likely to be abused for malicious intent. There’s no agreed-upon definition of what open source A.I. companies of “openwashing” — using the “open source” term disingenuously to make themselves look good.

Persons: Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Biden, There’s, A.I, Alek Tarkowski, ’, ” Organizations: Linux Foundation Locations: European

☆ Reddit stock jumps 14% after it inks data training deal with OpenAI
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The agreement will allow OpenAI to train its large language model using content on Reddit. AdvertisementReddit stock surged 14% on Friday after it inked a content deal with OpenAI. The deal will allow OpenAI to train its large language model using content from Reddit. Prior to the deal, Reddit and OpenAI had a connection in that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was a former board member of Reddit. Including it in ChatGPT upholds our belief in a connected internet, helps people find more of what they're looking for, and helps new audiences find community on Reddit," Reddit co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman said.

Persons: OpenAI, —, Axel Springer, Sam Altman, Reddit, Altman, Steve Huffman Organizations: OpenAI, Service, Google, Business Locations: Reddit

☆ Reddit soars after announcing OpenAI deal that allows use of its data for training AI models
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

As part of the deal, OpenAI will gain access to Reddit's Data application programming interface, or API, "which provides real-time, structured, and unique content from Reddit," according to a release. In exchange, Reddit will begin offering certain AI features to users and moderators, powered by OpenAI, which will also become a Reddit advertising partner. OpenAI Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap spearheaded the deal, which was approved by the company's board, the release said. The update brings GPT-4 to everyone, including OpenAI's free users, Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati said Monday in a livestreamed event. Reddit, which went public in March and reached a record close a few days after its initial public offering, is back to trading near its high of $65.11.

Persons: Reddit, OpenAI, Steve Huffman, Sam Altman, Brad Lightcap, Mira Murati, Murati Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, Google, Reddit, GameStop Locations: New York City, Reddit

☆ Looks like Elon Musk's belated 40th birthday present to Mark Zuckerberg is reviving that bizarre cage match bet
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Turns out, if you're Elon Musk, the biggest birthday present you can gift to a tech world nemesis may just be yourself. All of this is to say that one day after Mark Zuckerberg's 40th birthday, Elon Musk is back on their old beef, bringing up that fight he challenged Zuckerberg to last year. "I'm up for a cage match if he is lol," Musk said in an X post on June 20, 2023. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 11, 2023Zuckerberg, however, said Musk never made it clear when they were scheduled to glove up and face off in the ring. Advertisement"Zuck is a chicken," he wrote in an X post on August 13.

Persons: —, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg's, Zuckerberg, I've, Musk, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, I’ve, ake, lear, ince, ade Organizations: Service, Business, ust Locations: lon, usk, lade

☆ Sam Altman throws shade at Google's 'aesthetic'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Ana Altchek | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

OpenAI and Google each held major events this week announcing AI updates, one day apart. Sam Altman said he "cannot stop thinking" about the aesthetic difference between Google and OpenAI. The post led a Google engineer to call out Altman for timing OpenAI's event just before Google's. AdvertisementSam Altman isn't afraid to stir the pot a bit in the AI race, and his latest post took aim at Google. OpenAI and Google held their biggest events of the year so far, a day apart from each other — and AI was the theme of both.

Persons: Sam Altman, Altman, —, Sam Altman isn't, OpenAI Organizations: Google, Service, Astra, Business

☆ Sam Altman didn't eat or sleep much during his ousting, so he celebrated his return with 4 entrées and 2 milkshakes
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Ana Altchek | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewAs the CEO of OpenAI, the last couple of years have been a whirlwind for Sam Altman. He's met with world leaders, feuded with Elon Musk, joined the billionaire club, and was fired from the company he cofounded before quickly securing his return. Within a day of his ousting, Altman said he received 10 to 20 texts from presidents and prime ministers around the world. "It was just like weird," Altman told podcast host Logan Bartlett. "Then it hit me that like, oh yeah, like all of these people had texted me and it wasn't weird," Altman said.

Persons: —, Sam Altman, Altman, He's, Elon Musk, Logan Bartlett, OpenAI —, he's Organizations: Service, OpenAI, Business Locations: Napa

☆ Apple looks kind of ridiculous right now
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Apple, though, has kept pretty quiet about its own AI ambitions so far — and it's increasingly obvious. "The buzz around AI, and specifically GenAI, has been so deafening that Apple is noticeable by omission," Dipanjan Chatterjee, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester, told Business Insider. Still, if the rumors about OpenAI or Gemini iPhone integration are true, this week's "strong announcements actually would bode well for Apple," William Kerwin, an analyst at Morningstar, said. AdvertisementThe analyst told BI that the new iPad rollout is simply an "appetizer to the real meat and potatoes" of Apple's AI strategy, expected to be announced at the WWDC in June.

Persons: —, Sam Altman's, Google's, Dipanjan Chatterjee, Forrester, Chatterjee, Gene Munster, it'd, Apple's, bode, William Kerwin, Siri, Dan Ives Organizations: Service, Big Tech, Business, Apple, Conference, Google, Deepwater Asset Management, Morningstar, Microsoft

☆ A.I. and the Silicon Valley Hype Machine - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Julia Angwin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But now, a year later, the question isn’t really whether A.I. It feels like another sign that A.I. That realization has real implications for the way we, our employers and our government should deal with Silicon Valley’s latest dazzling new, new thing. Acknowledging A.I.’s flaws could help us invest our resources more efficiently and also allow us to turn our attention toward more realistic solutions. “I find my feelings about A.I.

Persons: Sam Altman, “, ”, Molly White

☆ The Old-Fashioned Library at the Heart of the A.I. Boom
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Cade Metz | Christie Hemm Klok | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The two-story library has Oriental rugs, shaded lamps dotting its desks and rows of hardbacks lining its walls. It is the architectural centerpiece of the offices of OpenAI, the start-up whose online chatbot, ChatGPT, showed the world that machines can instantly generate their own poetry and prose. The building, which was once a mayonnaise factory, looks like a typical tech office, with its communal work spaces, well-stocked micro-kitchens and private nap rooms spread across three floors in San Francisco’s Mission District. But then there is that library, with the ambience of a Victorian Era reading room. Its shelves offer everything from Homer’s “The Iliad” to David Deutsch’s “The Beginning of Infinity,” a favorite of Sam Altman, OpenAI’s chief executive.

Persons: “, David Deutsch’s “, Sam Altman Organizations: Francisco’s Mission Locations: OpenAI, Francisco’s

Behind a big shake-upA day after OpenAI announced major updates to its ChatGPT chatbot, the company said its chief scientist and co-founder was leaving. There were signs that Ilya Sutskever would quit, six months after he helped lead the rebellion that briefly ousted Sam Altman as OpenAI’s C.E.O. But it also raises questions about the future of a leading developer of generative A.I. “OpenAI would not exist without him and certainly was shaped by him,” Altman told The Times about Sutskever. But Sutskever’s presence at OpenAI may have become untenable.

Persons: OpenAI, Ilya Sutskever, Sam Altman, OpenAI’s, “ OpenAI, ” Altman, Altman, Elon Musk, Sutskever Organizations: Times

☆ It was their job to make sure humans are safe from OpenAI's superintelligence. They just quit.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

And the fact that there aren't such controls in place yet is a problem OpenAI recognized, per its July 2023 post. Our current techniques for aligning AI, such as reinforcement learning from human feedback , rely on humans' ability to supervise AI," read OpenAI's post. "But humans won't be able to reliably supervise AI systems much smarter than us, and so our current alignment techniques will not scale to superintelligence. AdvertisementLeike — who worked at Google's DeepMind before his gig at OpenAI — had big aspirations for keeping humans safe from the superintelligence we've created. "Maybe a once-and-for-all solution to the alignment problem is located in the space of problems humans can solve.

Persons: —, Sam Altman, Ilya Sutskever, Altman, Sutskever, he's, Jan Leike, Leike, OpenAI, superalignment, we're, Google's DeepMind, OpenAI — Organizations: Service, Business, OpenAI Locations: OpenAI

Search resuls for: "Sam Altman"

25 mentions found