A year ago, November 30, 2022, marked a milestone in the history of artificial intelligence with the arrival of ChatGPT to the general public. This generative technology, developed by OpenAI, opened the doors to a conversation with a robot for free, normalizing an interaction that has impacted more than 30 million users and has registered 5 million daily visits in just two months.

From the ability to create poems to the execution of bureaucratic procedures, ChatGPT has become a versatile and widely used tool. However, its perfection is not absolute, as it occasionally issues incorrect responses or “hallucinations,” it has been noted that the information with which it operates sometimes infringes copyright.

The strategic alliance between OpenAI and Microsoft has been fundamental in consolidating ChatGPT. Microsoft’s massive investment of $13 billion strengthened OpenAI and allowed the integration of the technology into the Bing chatbot, seeking to become an artificial intelligence assistant in all the company’s tools.

Large companies such as Duolingo, Slack, Airbnb, and Coca-Cola have adopted ChatGPT in their daily operations, evidencing the successful penetration of this technology in different sectors.

Altman in the Center of the Storm

Beyond the technological achievements, OpenAI involvement has surfaced in a surprising crisis in November. Sam Altman, the visible face of the company, was removed from his position as CEO, triggering a series of events that kept the technology community in suspense.

The mostly independent board of directors decided to remove Altman for his alleged lack of consistency in honesty. However, the situation took an unexpected turn when, after five intense days, Altman was quickly reinstated to his position, evidencing the internal power struggle at OpenAI and its solid connection with Microsoft.

The crisis unleashed a wave of pressure from investors, including Microsoft, who advocated for the return of Altman, and President Greg Brockman, who had also resigned in protest. The situation became even more complex when Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced the employment of Altman and Brockman to lead a new independent artificial intelligence unit at Microsoft.

Innovation Rumors and Dystopian Risks

Amid this chaos, it was revealed that the crisis at OpenAI was partly driven by a group of employees who warned the board about the dangers of commercializing artificial intelligence products without fully understanding their consequences. The letter sent by these employees and a project called Q*—an AI model capable of solving fundamental mathematical problems—were vital elements in developing the crisis.

Q* could be a significant step towards Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), a system capable of performing any human intellectual task. This perspective has fueled debates about the risks associated with the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, leading some to compare them to extinction threats similar to pandemics or nuclear wars.

Despite warnings and discussions about the regulation of artificial intelligence, OpenAI persists in its mission to allow anyone to build their version of ChatGPT without the need for programming knowledge. The company aims to launch “personalized GPTs,” AI agents tailored to users’ needs.

In one year, ChatGPT has gone from an exciting innovation to an internal crisis that has shaken the foundations of OpenAI. The future of artificial intelligence and its impact on society remain hot topics as regulators and technology companies strive to maintain the balance between innovation and responsibility.

Written by the Tecbound Technology Team