OpenAI's Board Shuffle: The Power Play Behind Altman's Return!

From ouster to reinstatement, follow Sam Altman's journey through a wild week at OpenAI. Discover what it means for the future of AI.

Author

Omar Ajruli
November 26, 2023

Hi, it's Omar. This week’s newsletter is 1,142 words, a 4.5-minute read.

Last week, we briefly discussed the recent developments involving OpenAI. This week, we have additional information to share. Additionally, I would like to inform you about some AI courses that might be of interest:

1. OpenAI: The Sama Drama

From left to right: Mira, Sam, Greg, Ilya

Hey everyone, big news from OpenAI! Sam Altman's back as CEO, and there's a fresh board to boot, led by ex-Salesforce bigwig Bret Taylor. Announced just last night, this wraps up a wild 100-hour saga that started with Altman's sudden boot-out last Friday.

So, what's the scoop? The takeaway is clear: if you have a friend who resembles Ilya, always wearing a frown, it's best to keep your distance, lol. The new board's a tight trio: Bret Taylor as the chair, ex-Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, and Quora co-founder Adam D'Angelo. With this reshuffle, Tasha McCauley, Helen Toner, and OpenAI's chief scientist Ilya Sutskever are stepping down from the board. And guess who's back too? Greg Brockman, OpenAI's ex-board chair and president.

Here's something juicy: they're planning a deep dive into what really went down with Altman's initial firing. And get this - the real turning point? Monday's open letter! Over 700 signatures, practically the whole company, saying they'd walk if the board didn't step down. Talk about pressure!

Behind the scenes, it's not all loss for the outgoing board. With D'Angelo staying on, they've still got a foot in the door.

Quick catch-up: OpenAI's board dropped a bombshell Friday, firing Altman over communication issues, with no major scandal behind it. Then, Altman and his ally Brockman were all set to join Microsoft, a major OpenAI investor. By Monday, nearly all of OpenAI's staff threatened to quit unless the board resigned. Plus, Twitch co-founder Emmett Shear jumped in as interim CEO.

Big picture time: OpenAI's always been about AI for humanity's good. But with ChatGPT's success, there's been a huge rush to push AI out there. Tuesday night's shuffle? It's putting OpenAI back on Altman's track since 2019, when they started a for-profit arm to fund their AI development with big bucks from Microsoft and others. Basically, the company structure is their main issue, is Open-AI a for-profit or a non-profit organisation? Well, The Economist explains their weird government structure, have a quick read here.

What's everyone saying? OpenAI's post on X (formerly Twitter) thanked everyone for their patience during this rollercoaster. Altman's pretty stoked, saying he's all about keeping the team and mission together. Microsoft's Nadella is digging the new board setup, calling it a solid step towards better governance. Brockman's excited to dive back into coding at OpenAI, and interim CEO Shear's glad to have helped sort things out.

So, there you have it. OpenAI's back on track, with some familiar and some new faces steering the ship!

My question to you here is who do you think is the winner of this drama?

2. FREE courses on AI 👨‍🎓

In correspondence with several subscribers, I was requested to compile a list of resources for learning more about AI. Here are my top 7 recommendations for free AI courses in 2023:

1. Foundations of Prompt Engineering
This course introduces the basics of prompt engineering and progresses to advanced prompt techniques.

✔ AWS Skill Builder.

2. ChatGPT Prompt Engineering for Developers
A free course on ChatGPT prompt engineering by DeepLearning AI and OpenAI.

✔DeepLearning AI

3. Google's Introduction to Generative AI
Aimed at explaining what Gen is, how it is used, and how it differs from traditional machine learning methods.

✔Introduction to GenAI

4. Harvard's Introduction to AI with Python
Learn to use machine learning in Python in this introductory course on artificial intelligence.

✔ Intro to Python and AI

5. Microsoft's 'What Is Generative AI?'
The basics of Gen AI, with topics including what it is, how it works, how to create your own content, different types of models, future predictions, and ethics.

✔ The basics of AI.

6. Learn Prompting
A comprehensive course in prompt engineering with over 60 content modules.
Takes you from beginner to advanced in the art of prompt engineering.

✔ Learn Prompting.

7. Google's Introduction to Responsible AI
Learn what Responsible AI is, why it’s essential, and how Google implements it in its products.

✔ https://www.cloudskillsboost.google/course_templates/554

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Cool AI-enabled tools for you:

  1. Perplexity released two new models pplx-7b-chat and pplx-70b-chat. Try them in Pplx Labs or API.

  2. Conveyor* - automated security questionnaire answering that works.

  3. Misgif - Add your face to popular gifs for free.

  4. Nintee - Break bad habits and pursue goals with an AI coach.

  5. Robin AI’s Contract Copilot is now available as a Microsoft Word plugin for lawyers to save time and money.

  6. Dot by New Computer - Intelligent guide designed to help you remember, organize, and navigate your life.

  7. Docus AI - Diagnose fast with AI, verify with top human doctors. (Disclaimer: As a large language… XD)

  8. Shiny. school - All-in-one playground to learn to build, create and design with generative AI.

8 other developments from the past week...

  1. MAVERICC: An open-source AI model capable of tracking planes, with an upcoming version designed to track 16 different categories, enhancing surveillance and monitoring capabilities.

  2. Outset AI: A voice-to-voice AI tool that facilitates user interviews, streamlining the interview process with AI-powered efficiency and convenience.

  3. ParsePrompt: An AI tool designed to process various media assets, demonstrating versatility in handling different types of digital content.

  4. Definite: This tool centralizes all your data into a single platform for comprehensive analytics and dashboard creation, simplifying data management and analysis.

  5. Voice to Music by Musicfy: A creative AI tool that transforms your sung notes into music from any chosen instrument, showcasing AI's potential in music creation.

  6. Negotiation Coach (GPT): An AI-driven tool that guides users through role-play scenarios in negotiations, offering visual summaries to enhance learning and skills.

  7. AI Proxy by Braintrust Data: This tool allows seamless swapping of different Large Language Models (LLMs) while using the OpenAI SDK, offering flexibility in AI development.

  8. Lifeboat by Replicate: A tool that enables easy switching of your language model provider to Llama 2 70B with minimal code, enhancing adaptability in AI implementations.

Thanks for Reading! 🌟

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Best,

Omar Ajruli,
Editor in charge