Sam Altman’s choices ‘could easily affect all of humanity… in a lasting way,’ says expert who questioned OpenAI CEO’s stance on AI regulation

Gary MarcusProminent AI expert raises alarm over OpenAI CEO Sam Altmanwho he claims misled the public about his stance on AI regulation and his financial involvement in the company.

What happened:Marcus, Founder Geometric intelligence and former boss Uber The AI ​​lab criticized Altman’s actions as inconsistent with his public statements in a Saturday column in The Guardian, questioning Altman’s sincerity in advocating for AI regulation and challenging his claim that he has no stake in OpenAI.

Recalling a May 2023 Senate hearing, Marcus said that while Altman “seemed sincere” about his stance on AI regulation, “I gradually realized that I, the Senate, and ultimately the American people, had probably been fooled.”

Marcus pointed out that Altman had indirect financial ties to OpenAI through his stake in Y combiner, a startup incubator that Altman previously headed, and AI Rain, integrated circuit startup that signed a $51 million deal with OpenAI.

“If this indirect stake were worth just 0.1% of the company’s value, which seems likely, it would be worth almost $100 million,” Marcus wrote.

See also: Amazon CEO says that while ads have become the norm, Prime Video aims to have ‘significantly fewer ads’ than Netflix, YouTube, Disney+ and others

Marcus also raised concerns about Altman’s commitment to security and transparency at OpenAI, citing a 2023 Time magazine article that described OpenAI’s attempts to weaken the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act by eliminating language that classified OpenAI’s ChatGPT as “high risk.”

He also highlighted problems with OpenAI’s restrictive NDAs and allegations that Altman lied to the board. Marcus argued that generative AI tools like ChatGPT “will likely never be safe” and will not offer viable solutions to areas like medicine or climate change.

“The stakes are high. The way AI is developed now will have lasting consequences. Altman’s choices could easily affect all of humanity—not just individual users—in lasting ways,” Marcus warned.

OpenAI has not yet responded to Benzinga’s questions.

Why is this important?:These accusations follow criticism from a Google engineer who claimed that Altman’s OpenAI project had set back progress in AI research by 5 to 10 years.

In addition, OpenAI has expanded its lobbying efforts to shape AI regulation in the face of growing security concerns, a continuation of Altman’s earlier statements advocating for international regulation of AI to ensure security, while also warning against overregulation.

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This story was generated by Benzinga Neuro and edited by Pooja Rajkumari