Top Leadership Changes at ChatGPT Maker OpenAI

Top Leadership Changes at ChatGPT Maker OpenAI

ChatGPT制造商OpenAI的高层领导变动

【原文听力】

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

　　By Bryan Lynn

　　20 November 2023

　　Artificial intelligence (AI) system developer OpenAI was under new leadership Monday after a series of recent changes that included the removal of former chief executive Sam Altman.

　　OpenAI said on Friday it had dismissed Altman after a "breakdown of communications," with the company's board of directors, several news services reported. Altman's "behavior and lack of transparency" had limited "the board's ability to effectively supervise the company," the New York Times reported a non-public company document as saying.

　　OpenAI announced it had replaced Altman with Emmett Shear, a technology executive who formerly led live video gaming service Twitch.

　　Greg Brockman, a president and co-founder of OpenAI, along with several company leaders, quit after Altman's removal. Some wrote on X, "OpenAI is nothing without its people."

　　The Associated Press reported that several hundred OpenAI employees also signed a letter calling for the board to step down and Altman to return.

　　Microsoft investment

　　Microsoft has invested billions of dollars in OpenAI in recent years. The company has supported the AI developer's machine learning models with its knowledge and experience in building powerful computing machines. Both Microsoft chief Satya Nadella and OpenAI's Shear said they remain committed to their existing business partnership.

　　Microsoft also announced on Monday that it had hired Altman, along with Brockman, to lead a new specialized AI research team at the company.

　　Nadella wrote on X that he was "extremely excited" to bring on the former executives of OpenAI and looked "forward to getting to know" Shear and the rest of the leadership team. Altman wrote on X, "the mission continues," while Brockman promised, "We are going to build something new & it will be incredible."

　　Altman became the face of a new generation of AI systems, called chatbots, that have captured a flood of media attention in recent years. Chatbots are designed to interact smoothly with humans and perform high-level writing. The technology is also known as "generative AI." The launch and widespread popularity of OpenAI's ChatGPT tool started a wave of development in the field.

　　In a statement on X, Shear dismissed media reports suggesting Altman's removal came because of disputes between top OpenAI leaders over the safety of the company's AI methods. Shear promised to hire an independent investigator to look into what led to Altman's ouster and offered to give a report within 30 days.

　　"It's clear that the process and communications around Sam's removal has been handled very badly, which has seriously damaged our trust," wrote Shear. He noted he also plans in the coming weeks to "reform the management and leadership team in light of recent departures into an effective force" and speak with employees, investors and users of OpenAI products.

　　Shear noted the reason behind the board removing Altman was not a "specific disagreement on safety." Media reports have suggested disputes within OpenAI's leadership about the company's stated plans to safely build AI that is "generally smarter than humans."

　　On a podcast in June, Shear said he is generally optimistic about technology. But he noted he has serious concerns about a possible path to create systems that are "a lot smarter than us" and could endanger humans.

　　Shear wrote that he had accepted the job "because I believe that OpenAI is one of the most important companies currently in existence."

　　Richard Windsor heads the British-based financial research company Radio Free Mobile. He told Reuters there had been conflicts between OpenAI's mission to build technology to help people and that of its investors, who have expected a financial return on their investments in the company.

　　"This weekend was simply the detonation of a bomb that has been waiting to go off," Windsor said.

　　I'm Bryan Lynn.

　　The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for VOA Learning English.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

　　作者：布莱恩·林恩

　　2023年11月20日

　　人工智能（AI）系统开发商OpenAI在一系列最近的变动后，周一有了新的领导，这些变动包括前首席执行官萨姆·阿尔特曼的离职。

　　据几家新闻服务机构报道，OpenAI在周五表示，由于与公司董事会的“沟通破裂”，已经解雇了阿尔特曼。《纽约时报》引述一份非公开的公司文件称，阿尔特曼的“行为和透明度的缺失”限制了“董事会有效监督公司的能力”。

　　OpenAI宣布已经用艾默特·希尔替换了阿尔特曼，希尔是一位科技高管，曾经领导过直播视频游戏服务Twitch。

　　OpenAI的总裁兼联合创始人格雷格·布罗克曼以及几位公司领导在阿尔特曼被解职后辞职。有些人在X上写道，“没有其员工，OpenAI就是空壳。”

　　据美联社报道，几百名OpenAI的员工也签署了一封信，呼吁董事会下台，让阿尔特曼回归。

　　微软投资

　　近年来，微软在OpenAI上投入了数十亿美元。该公司利用其在构建强大计算机方面的知识和经验，支持了AI开发者的机器学习模型。微软首席执行官萨蒂亚·纳德拉和OpenAI的希尔都表示，他们仍然致力于维持现有的商业伙伴关系。

　　微软在周一宣布，已经聘请了阿特曼和布罗克曼，来领导公司新的专门的AI研究团队。

　　纳德拉在X上写道，他对引进前OpenAI的高管感到"极度兴奋"，并期待"进一步了解"Shear和其他领导团队。阿特曼在X上写道，“使命继续”，而布罗克曼承诺，“我们将建立新的事物，它将是不可思议的。”

　　阿特曼成为了新一代AI系统，即聊天机器人的代表人物，这些系统近年来引起了大量媒体的关注。聊天机器人被设计用于与人顺畅地交互并进行高级写作。这项技术也被称为"生成性AI"。OpenAI的ChatGPT工具的发布和广泛流行引发了该领域的一波开发浪潮。

　　希尔在X上的一份声明中，驳斥了媒体的报道，这些报道暗示阿特曼的离职是因为OpenAI高层领导人之间对公司AI方法的安全性存在争议。希尔承诺聘请一名独立调查员来查明导致阿特曼被赶出的原因，并承诺在30天内给出一份报告。

　　"很明显，围绕Sam的离职的过程和沟通处理得非常糟糕，这严重损害了我们的信任，"希尔写道。他还指出，他计划在未来几周内"鉴于最近的离职，改革管理和领导团队，使其成为一支有效的力量"，并与OpenAI产品的员工、投资者和用户进行交谈。

　　希尔指出，董事会解雇阿特曼的原因并非"对安全性的具体分歧"。媒体报道曾暗示OpenAI领导层对公司明确计划安全地构建"通常比人类更聪明"的AI存在争议。

　　在六月的一次播客中，希尔表示他对技术普遍持乐观态度。但他指出，他对创建出"比我们聪明得多"并可能危及人类的系统的可能路径有严重的担忧。

　　希尔写道，他接受了这份工作"因为我相信OpenAI是目前存在的最重要的公司之一。"

　　理查德·温莎是英国金融研究公司Radio Free Mobile的负责人。他告诉路透社，OpenAI的使命是建立帮助人们的技术，而其投资者期望在公司的投资上获得财务回报，这两者之间存在冲突。

　　"这个周末只是一颗一直等待爆炸的炸弹的引爆，"温莎说。

　　我是布莱恩·林恩。

　　这个故事是由美联社、路透社和法新社报道的。布莱恩·林恩为VOA学习英语改编了这些报道。

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

　　本故事中的词汇

　　transparent – adj.透明的；清晰易懂或易于识别的

　　mission – n.重要的工作或任务，通常涉及到某处的旅行

　　management – n. 对公司或组织的控制

　　optimistic – n. 对某事持积极的思考

　　detonate – v. 爆炸