Overview

OpenAI is generally considered the most influential company at the forefront of the artificial intelligence boom. Led by CEO Sam Altman, it burst into the public consciousness in late 2022 with the release of ChatGPT. By February 2023, it had become the fastest-growing consumer app in history with a reported 100 million monthly active users.

1440 Findings

Hours of research by our editors, distilled into minutes of clarity.

  • OpenAI initially focused on novelty projects, like training bots to win video games

    With an initial commitment of $1B from tech executives, OpenAI launched in 2015 to develop artificial general intelligence systems. ChatGPT's success after its 2022 launch surprised OpenAI's team as it spurred a global AI race.

  • Before ChatGPT, OpenAI Five beat esports world champions

    The bot won two back-to-back Dota 2 matches and developed a new skill of working as a teammate with humans, even though it had only been trained to beat other bots.

  • The philosophy of effective altruism was at the heart of Sam Altman's firing

    OpenAI was originally created as a nonprofit to develop artificial general intelligence for humanity's benefit. However, skyrocketing computing costs made adherence to this belief difficult, as new influences, such as external investors, were introduced to accelerate growth with reduced safety.

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