#83 How Did Altman Exit OpenAI? A GenAI-Powered Scenario Investigation

Explore AI's Hidden Narratives: GenAI and Altman's Exit. Subscribe for Exclusive Insights

Heads up, Thought Leaders!

Typically, I publish on Tuesdays, but this event is so impactful that I decided to post on Sunday, 11/19, allowing you a week to read it during the holidays (Happy Thanksgiving).

It will take some time to fully understand why Sam Altman was stepped down and replaced by Mira Murati at OpenAI. Nevertheless, this is an ideal opportunity to demonstrate how GenAI, used with maximum creativity ("Hallucination on, Temperature=1"), can be valuable. This article is just such an instance.

In our latest Newsletter, we're introducing fundamental changes. We now feature articles focused on AI, innovation, thought leadership, and digital disruption, analyzed by our new team of virtual journalists. At the forefront is Jackeline Nolan ('Jackie'), our virtual anchor, who will guide our exploration of these critical topics.

Jackie, back to you.

-Hello, dear audience. I am honored to be part of this exceptional team. I aim to carefully select topics for our coverage, emphasizing their significance for Thought Leaders. Today's focus is AI in Business, mainly why Sam Altman is no longer at OpenAI. While it might take weeks to grasp the whole picture, we have essential facts to help us evaluate possible scenarios. This time, we've used a GenAI tool (Claude2) to simulate a Senior Investigator skilled in deciphering secret messages behind news and facts. The complete interaction, spanning over ten pages, is available in the premium section of this article. You can start a seven-day trial below if you're not a Premium subscriber.

Let’s start with the facts we know.

Facts associated with Sam Altman and OpenAI.

1. OpenAI consists of a larger 503c non-profit organization, OpenAI Inc., and a for-profit subsidiary, OpenAI, L.P. (OpenAI LP URL)

2. OpenAI, Inc.'s Board of directors set guidelines for both organizations. (OpenAI LP URL)

3. OpenAI's primary goal is the safe and ethical development of AGI (Artificial General Intelligence): we can better focus on a positive human impact. (Introducing OpenAI)

4. OpenAI, LP's main objective is to devise a tactical plan to engage donors, investors, and allies in accelerating AGI creation. (OpenAI LP URL) following guidelines set on the OpenAI charter. (OpenAI Charter)

5. Board Members are often financially and legally vulnerable to repercussions from their decisions.

6. OpenAI board members are generally financially stable and not under immediate pressure to achieve financial success.

7. The Board's announcement indicated a loss of trust and confidence in Altman, suggesting he failed to share relevant information promptly, triggering a sudden investigation and corrective action.

8. A key board member, Chief Scientist Ilya Sutskever, published an article on the OpenAI blog titled "Introducing Super Alignment," highlighting OpenAI's interest in developing AGI control mechanisms surpassing human intelligence. This underscores the Board's commitment to ethical and responsible AGI development.

9. Altman announced new services in the past two weeks and renewed partnerships with Microsoft and others. (YouTube DevDay. S=2247)

10. The decision also impacted another board member and founder, Greg Brockman, who was removed but asked to continue supporting OpenAI. Brockman resigned shortly after that. (Transition Announcement)

11. Social media leaks revealed that Altman was informed of the Board's decision in a virtual call led by Sutskever, which Brockman did not attend. Brockman was told afterward.

12. Microsoft has entered into various agreements with OpenAI, with current funding estimated at USD 13B, potentially reaching approx. USD 23B by 2032. (Bloomberg Jan2023)

13. Mira Murati, a senior executive at OpenAI with a brief tenure but extensive external experience (e.g., Tesla), has been effective in multiple critical technical roles. Named interim CEO, she may be confirmed as the new CEO, aligning with the Board's technical and non-profit priorities.

14. Microsoft leaders were informed of these decisions post-factum. (YCombinator.com)

Ok, Jackie, there is much information; what do we learn from that?

Creative Hallucinations for Business Scenario Analysis

We prompted Claude2 as a Senior Investigator, an expert in AI news with a knack for uncovering secret messages and implications from announcements. We employed the 'binary elimination' or 'pairwise comparison' method, involving sequential comparisons of two options, discarding the least preferred, and continuing this process until one option emerges as the top choice.

We aim to demonstrate that Hallucinations can be helpful in specific contexts and use cases, offering more profound insights into complex scenarios. We'll share the unedited interaction between the Digital Acceleration Newsletter and Claude2 (excuse any typos).

We explored nine scenarios using seventeen prompts.

-No worries, Jackie, ready for the findings

As we said, Claude2 evaluated nine scenarios. It concluded that Altman had reached profit-oriented agreements with third parties, most probably Microsoft, which were not fully disclosed to the Board and were likely not aligned with the long-term interests defined by the Board.

Our topic here is not about determining the root cause of Altman's departure, but to demonstrate how hallucinations can be beneficial in specific use cases to enhance the understanding of events and their implications."

Next, all the XVII prompting, no edits, to highlight the power of creative thinking prompting to boost scenario analysis, our analysis and reflections, and finally, a special offer to premium subscribers.

Interaction with Claude2: Cracking Codes as Senior Detective

Hi Claude, I have a new game for you. Looking for secret messages in letters, becoming a Senior Detective…