It’s no secret, both within and outside of the community, that EA played a significant role in building OpenAI. To name a few links:
There were at least two committed EAs on the OpenAI board prior to Altman’s firing.
In 2017 Open Phil gave out their biggest grant to date of $30 million to OpenAI. As part of this partnership, Holden Karnofsky, Open Phil’s CEO, joined the OpenAI board. Karnosky held this position until 2021, when he left due to his wife’s role in founding Anthropic.
Many EAs have worked at OpenAI, and EA orgs like 80k hours have recommended OpenAI as a high-impact organization until recently.
Regardless of the exact degree of affiliation, the EA movement has broadly supported OpenAI as an AI safety effort. However, OpenAI’s reputation and actions as an AI safety organization have come into question over the last couple of years. I think many in the community would agree the OpenAI can no longer be taken seriously as an AI safety org, and it’s arguable OpenAI has had a significant negative impact on the world by accelerating AI development while neglecting safety. Despite this tension between OpenAI’s actions and EA’s values, I have yet to hear any strong voices clarifying the relationship between the two. Notably,
If EA is serious about preventing the harms of AI and AGI, holding companies like OpenAI accountable is an important step. This affiliation also plays poorly for EA’s brand, giving the impression of being hypocritical and irresponsible. Speaking up can also be a strategic opportunity for EA to take a stand and reinvent the brand.
Why doesn’t EA denounce OpenAI?
It’s no secret, both within and outside of the community, that EA played a significant role in building OpenAI. To name a few links:
There were at least two committed EAs on the OpenAI board prior to Altman’s firing.
In 2017 Open Phil gave out their biggest grant to date of $30 million to OpenAI. As part of this partnership, Holden Karnofsky, Open Phil’s CEO, joined the OpenAI board. Karnosky held this position until 2021, when he left due to his wife’s role in founding Anthropic.
Many EAs have worked at OpenAI, and EA orgs like 80k hours have recommended OpenAI as a high-impact organization until recently.
Regardless of the exact degree of affiliation, the EA movement has broadly supported OpenAI as an AI safety effort. However, OpenAI’s reputation and actions as an AI safety organization have come into question over the last couple of years. I think many in the community would agree the OpenAI can no longer be taken seriously as an AI safety org, and it’s arguable OpenAI has had a significant negative impact on the world by accelerating AI development while neglecting safety. Despite this tension between OpenAI’s actions and EA’s values, I have yet to hear any strong voices clarifying the relationship between the two. Notably,
If EA is serious about preventing the harms of AI and AGI, holding companies like OpenAI accountable is an important step. This affiliation also plays poorly for EA’s brand, giving the impression of being hypocritical and irresponsible. Speaking up can also be a strategic opportunity for EA to take a stand and reinvent the brand.
So, why hasn’t EA denounced OpenAI?