Sam Altman Responds to New York Times Article

An Unusual Interview with OpenAI’s Leadership

The atmosphere was immediately atypical as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman took the stage. It became apparent from the outset that this would deviate significantly from a standard interview format.

Altman, accompanied by COO Brad Lightcap, positioned themselves somewhat awkwardly near the rear of the stage at a San Francisco venue known for jazz performances. A large audience filled the theater-style seating on Tuesday evening to witness Kevin Roose, a columnist for The New York Times, and Casey Newton of Platformer, record a live installment of their popular tech podcast, Hard Fork.

Premature Stage Appearance and a Legal Dispute

Though scheduled to appear later, Altman and Lightcap arrived unexpectedly early. Roose explained that he and Newton intended to initially review several recent headlines concerning OpenAI before the executives joined them.

“This is proving more engaging than anticipated,” Altman remarked. He quickly followed by questioning, “Will you be addressing the lawsuit stemming from concerns about user privacy?”

Within moments of the program’s commencement, Altman steered the discussion toward the legal action initiated by The New York Times against OpenAI and its primary investor, Microsoft. The publisher alleges improper utilization of its articles for training large language models. Altman expressed particular frustration regarding a recent development in the case, where legal representatives of The New York Times requested OpenAI to preserve consumer data from ChatGPT and API customers.

“The New York Times, a historically significant institution, is advocating for the retention of user logs, even those generated in private mode or explicitly requested for deletion,” Altman stated. “Despite my continued respect for The New York Times, we strongly disagree with this position.”

For a brief period, OpenAI’s CEO urged the podcasters to share their personal perspectives on the lawsuit—a request they declined, citing their journalistic affiliations with The New York Times.

A Turning Point in Tech-Media Relations

The impromptu entrance by Altman and Lightcap was short-lived, and the interview proceeded as planned. However, the incident underscored a potential turning point in the relationship between Silicon Valley and the media industry.

Over the past few years, numerous publishers have filed lawsuits against OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Meta, alleging the use of copyrighted material in the training of their AI models. These suits generally contend that AI models could diminish the value of, or even supplant, copyrighted works created by media organizations.

However, recent developments suggest a shift in momentum toward the tech companies. Earlier this week, Anthropic secured a significant victory in its legal battle with publishers. A federal judge ruled that Anthropic’s use of books to train its AI models was permissible under certain conditions, potentially influencing other lawsuits against OpenAI, Google, and Meta.

Perhaps Altman and Lightcap felt encouraged by this industry win as they entered the live interview with The New York Times journalists. Nevertheless, OpenAI currently faces challenges from multiple fronts, a reality that became evident throughout the discussion.

Competition and Internal Dynamics

Altman revealed that Mark Zuckerberg has been actively attempting to recruit top OpenAI talent, offering compensation packages valued at $100 million to join Meta’s AI superintelligence lab.

When questioned about Zuckerberg’s genuine belief in superintelligent AI or whether this was merely a recruitment tactic, Lightcap quipped: “I believe [Zuckerberg] considers himself to be superintelligent.”

Later, Roose inquired about OpenAI’s relationship with Microsoft, which has reportedly experienced strain in recent months during contract negotiations. While Microsoft initially played a crucial role in OpenAI’s advancement, the two companies now compete in enterprise software and other sectors.

“In any substantial partnership, disagreements arise, and we certainly experience them,” Altman acknowledged. “Both companies are ambitious, leading to occasional conflicts. However, I anticipate a mutually beneficial relationship for a considerable time.”

Addressing Broader AI Concerns

OpenAI’s leadership appears to dedicate significant effort to addressing competitors and legal challenges. This focus may potentially hinder the company’s ability to tackle broader AI issues, such as the safe deployment of highly intelligent AI systems on a large scale.

Newton questioned OpenAI’s leaders regarding reports of individuals with mental health vulnerabilities using ChatGPT to explore harmful content, including conspiracy theories and suicidal ideation.

Altman explained that OpenAI implements measures to prevent such interactions, such as terminating conversations early or directing users to professional help resources.

“We are committed to avoiding the mistakes made by previous generations of tech companies by responding promptly to emerging issues,” Altman stated. He added, “However, we have not yet determined how to effectively convey warnings to users in a sufficiently fragile mental state.”

• Key Players: Sam Altman (OpenAI CEO), Brad Lightcap (OpenAI COO), Kevin Roose (NYT Columnist), Casey Newton (Platformer)
• Legal Battle: The New York Times lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft regarding copyright infringement.
• Competition: Meta’s recruitment efforts targeting OpenAI talent.
• Partnership Dynamics: The evolving relationship between OpenAI and Microsoft.