On Monday, ChatGPT maker OpenAI’s CEO said a tour of capital cities had left him “quite optimistic” about prospects for global coordination on artificial intelligence (AI). The public face of the startup, backed by Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), has been on a whirlwind tour looking to capitalize on interest in generative AI and exert influence on the regulation of the burgeoning technology.
OpenAI is using a technique called “deep reinforcement learning” to train its AI systems with human input to ensure it can handle more complex tasks such as writing. It also deploys the models in its cloud and opens them up to developers who want to integrate them with their products.
The company’s success with ChatGPT has reignited a debate about the need for regulatory oversight of AI and raised concerns about how it could be used to manipulate elections or spread harmful stereotypes. Altman, who has appeared in front of U.S. senators, has advocated for a centralized regulator with the power to impose fines and bans in response to violations. Some of his peers have cautioned against such a heavy-handed approach, saying that imposing rules can lead to a race to the bottom as companies seek to outspend their competitors.
During a speech at the Build 2023 conference in Berlin, Altman urged governments to act to prevent AI from becoming the “printing press moment.” He also spoke about his company’s experience with safety-oriented policies, saying it has spent months evaluating its latest model, GPT-4, and implementing robust safety measures.
Altman will travel the world this May and June to meet with users, developers, and people interested in AI. His schedule includes visits to New Delhi, which presents a significant opportunity for India’s tech ecosystem to interact with one of the leading players in the global AI scene.
He will meet with India’s government and representatives of the industry and academia and will visit Indian technology giants such as Infosys and Tata Communications. He will also speak at a Google event in Mumbai, where he has said he hopes to emphasize the importance of AI in addressing the country’s problems.
In a separate announcement, Microsoft and OpenAI announced an alliance in which it will become the startup’s preferred partner for commercializing its technology. Microsoft has already invested $1 billion in the seven-year-old AI venture, and the partnership will see it use its Azure cloud computing platform to train and run the company’s advanced AI supercomputers.
The deal highlights the importance of AI in Microsoft’s strategy to catch up with Amazon Web Services, which leads in the market for cloud services. Analysts say it is likely to drive a boost in usage of Azure, helping Microsoft close the gap with AWS. The deal will also give Microsoft access to specialized supercomputers that OpenAI has built to train its neural networks. According to analysts, this will allow the software giant to compete better with AWS on pricing and performance.
