Journalists Surprised by OpenAI’s Deal to Feature Their Stories
“Journalists Had ‘No Idea’ About OpenAI’s Deal to Use Their Stories”
“OpenAI, a nonprofit that once pledged to save humanity from malevolent AI but is now trying to make money, has signed a new kind of deal with a tech firm rendition of Rupert Murdoch: the publisher Axel Springer”, – as sarcastically mentioned in a WIRED article. Apparently, the idea of making some ‘green’ superseded the noble mission of OpenAI defeating malevolent AI.
Now, here’s the real juice of the story. OpenAI, obviously tired of playing superhero, has penned a lucrative deal with German publisher Axel Springer. And it’s not a usual ‘let’s swap tech expertise for promotion’ deal. No, sir! It’s a licensing deal to use the advanced version, GPT-3, of its text generating AI technology. We must give credit where it’s due, GPT-3 is such an enchanting piece of technology that it can churn out human-like text that leaves you questioning the Turing test itself.
Considering Axel Springer’s status as a ‘Rupert Murdoch of tech firms’, it shouldn’t come as earth-shattering news. Stories of tech-giants doing the unexpected are not particularly startling anymore. Yet, one can’t help but ponder over the shift in OpenAI’s mission – from safeguarding humanity against evil AI, to monetizing their proprietary technology.
The question left hanging amidst all this hi-tech drama is: ‘what’s in it for writers?’ Scared, are we? Don’t be! This deal suggests that AI won’t be replacing lovable, squabbling writers anytime soon. Instead, it’s an opportunity for writers to use AI to explore more angles and to dig out more profound insights.
The AI, despite being enormously advanced, isn’t quite able to master sarcasm, humor and the beautiful complexities of human emotion just yet. So, rest easy, the technology will simply support writers, not replace them.
Perhaps, the only thing we should be slightly worried about is OpenAI’s once sworn duty to humanity. With the new pursuits of revenue generation, who will now save us from evil AI? What’s next on the agenda? A licensing deal with a villainous AI? Only time will tell. Until then, let’s sit back and observe as the AI-enhanced future unfolds before us.