Recently, The New York Times conducted an in-depth report on the relationship between OpenAI and its investment partner Microsoft, indicating that their five-year collaboration is facing a cooling period. The main reasons include financial pressures on OpenAI, limited computational capabilities provided by Microsoft, and disagreements on some fundamental rules.
Image source note: The image was generated by AI, authorized service provider Midjourney
The report mentions that the contract between OpenAI and Microsoft includes a controversial clause, which stipulates that if OpenAI develops artificial general intelligence (AGI), a type of AI that can match human thinking, Microsoft will lose access to OpenAI's technology. This clause is clearly designed to ensure that Microsoft does not misuse this advanced technology. However, OpenAI's board can decide when AGI standards are met, and OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman has stated that this moment is relatively subjective.
Altman said in an earlier interview last year that as technology advances, the arrival of AGI will be a vague and gradual process, rather than a clear boundary. He said: "The closer we get to that moment, the harder it is for me to answer how far AGI is from us, because I believe it will be much more ambiguous than people imagine."
As tensions between OpenAI and Microsoft continue to escalate, the sustainability of their partnership has sparked widespread concern. This game between tech giants not only concerns the future of the companies but could also influence the direction of the entire AI industry.
Key Points:
🌐 The partnership between OpenAI and Microsoft is cooling due to financial pressures and limited computational capabilities.
💼 The AGI clause in the contract restricts Microsoft's use of OpenAI's technology to prevent misuse.
🧠 OpenAI's board can subjectively determine when AGI is achieved, and the arrival of AGI will be a vague process.