OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Addresses Open Letter on AI Advancement Pause and Confirms No Current Plans for GPT-5 Development

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has spoken out about the recently published open letter calling for a pause on the advancement of AI technology. Altman addressed the letter during a speech at MIT and shared his opinions on the matter. Altman confirmed that OpenAI is not currently training GPT-5, which is believed to be the successor to the GPT-4 AI language model.

Last month, thousands of leading tech experts, including Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak, signed an open letter calling for a six-month pause on training AI systems that are more advanced than GPT-4. The letter highlights the growing concern about the race to develop increasingly powerful AI and the risks this poses to society. While contemporary AI systems like GPT-4 can already compete with humans on general tasks, the letter warns of potential information biases, job automation, and the risk of losing control over human civilization. 

Altman agreed with certain aspects of the open letter, specifically regarding the need to increase safety capabilities in AI development. He stated that OpenAI had taken extensive safety measures when training GPT-4, including external audits and safety checks. 

However, he disagreed with the proposed monetary pause on AI development and noted the lack of technical specificity in the letter. Altman also refuted the claim that OpenAI was training GPT-5, emphasizing the importance of accurate evaluation and monitoring of AI safety.

“We are doing other things on top of GPT-4 that I think have all sorts of safety issues that are important to address and were totally left out of the letter,”

Altman said.

He further explained that OpenAI’s goal is to encourage global engagement with AI, prompting individuals and institutions to update or adapt existing systems to create the desired future.

OpenAI has recently updated its approach to AI safety. The company has committed to conducting thorough testing, seeking external expert feedback, and collaborating with governments to develop effective regulations. In addition, OpenAI is taking measures to protect individual privacy by removing personal information from training data, rejecting requests for personal information, and deleting personal information from its systems. The company has also shifted its focus to protecting children by planning to implement age verification options.

Read more:

• Tech Experts Sign Open Letter Calling for Temporary Pause on Training AI Systems More Advanced Than GPT-4
• The AI Revolution is Just Starting: Will GPT-5 Achieve Artificial General Intelligence?
• Bill Gates Rejects Idea of Pausing AI Development to Tackle Challenges
• OpenAI’s Sam Altman Plans Japan Expansion with New Office
• Meta shareholder critiques Zuckerberg’s high expenses on the metaverse