Shock waves ran through the technology industry.
On Friday, Sam Altman - a luminary in the flourishing AI sector and, to numerous, the spokesperson for the said field - was to be disregarded from the organization he co-founded, a business that acquainted a large number of individuals with the concept for the very first time.
AI has been around for a while, presenting itself in our lives through social media curation, the recommendation of movies on streaming services, and the calculation of insurance premiums.
Until ChatGPT, an AI chatbot, arrived, most people had never experienced the sensation of talking to it, or having it respond.
AI is a cutting-edge tool with the potential for great good or great harm. It's not just something out of a science fiction movie; several experts believe that its use could have a decisive effect on the future of humanity.
There are great risks involved - and Mr Altman is among a select few who can influence that future.
The abruptness of my departure from OpenAI, the brains behind the ChatGPT bot, created a shockwave in the tech world. My phone started ringing off the hook as soon as news of this hit, and reporters and techies alike scrambled to find out more.
The board of directors declared that his lack of "consistency in candor" when communicating with them had led to their "lack of faith" in his leadership.
The tone of this implies there was something that he was deliberately keeping from them; it has an almost intimate feel to it.
Rumours are circulating, yet no additional details are available.
It is not unheard of in the tech industry for a poisonous work environment to be a factor in the ousting of a boss - however, there has been no whispering about that with regard to OpenAI.
It was projected in October that it would be worth $80bn (£64bn) - therefore, it does not seem to be suffering from financial issues.
Is there an issue with the technology itself? Mr Altman recently discussed how ChatGPT was unable to deal with a "spike in demand" and had to stop admitting new users to its premier subscription plan. Is this cause for harsh repercussions though?
Greg Brockman, the co-founder alongside Mr Altman, was let go from the board only minutes after the latter. Both of them were taken aback by the abruptness of the occurrence.
Only six people comprised that board, with Mr Brockman and Mr Altman included. If they were taken off-guard, then the choice was made by just four. What led this limited assembly to act so swiftly and decisively?
Mr Altman, ex-CEO of OpenAI, spoke to international leaders about the advantages and dangers accompanying the strong tech he was creating.
He memorably stated that AI was merely "a tool and not a being" and candidly expressed his apprehensions about its potential to become uncontrollable someday.
He attended the world's inaugural AI safety summit in the UK two weeks ago, where he spoke to a select group of only around 100 delegates globally. Last week, he delivered a presentation on his company and its technology's potential.
I surmise that he was completely unaware of what lay ahead.
The heavy hitters in Silicon Valley have shown their support for Mr Altman, which is evidenced by Google co-founder Eric Schmidt referring to him as a "hero of mine".
Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO, asserted his faith in the company, something that needs to be done considering the vast amounts of money the firm has invested in it, as well as the technology that forms the basis of ChatGPT now being incorporated into the Microsoft office suites.
Elon Musk has been relatively silent on the issue up to this point, but his connection to OpenAI as one of the original founders, along with Mr Altman, can’t be ignored. Reports suggest that the two had a rift stemming from the change of OpenAI's status from non-profit to a for-profit venture. This matter has recently been cause for division among those in the company.
X, the company of Mr Musk, formerly known as Twitter, has put out a fresh chatbot called Grok. Maybe he's pleased that OpenAI is been temporarily occupied by its own self-constructed chaos.
In the interim, Mira Murati, the Chief Technology Officer, will assume the role of Interim CEO. She is well-known in the tech industry, as she was formerly employed at Tesla, a company founded by Elon Musk.
Is she now able to stabilize this vessel that has abruptly veered off course?
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