OpenAI: On the Verge of Making Startup History, But Is It Justified?

“OpenAI Is Poised to Become the Most Valuable Startup Ever. Should It Be?”

“Already steeped in the world’s suspicions, OpenAI, the fourteen-year-old artificial intelligence shop that’s backed by tech luminaries ranging from Elon Musk to Reid Hoffman, isn’t helping itself by staying mum on major questions about the research undergirding its products.”

Alright folks, here we go again. OpenAI, the mysterious, fourteen-year-old AI child prodigy backed by A-list tech millionaires, is making waves, and not exactly in the most transparent way. Now, who wouldn’t be skeptical about the integrity of an organization that thrives on keeping key details about its research hush-hush? Something smells fishy here, and it’s not the left-over tuna sandwich.

Their freshly launched product, GPT-3, is claimed to be a modern marvel in the world of artificial intelligence, supposedly able to produce text so convincingly human-like that it could fool the best of us. But here’s the kicker: few details of the groundbreaking research that developed GPT-3 have been disclosed, and OpenAI simply refuses to share its coveted cheat sheet, flaunting a frustrating ‘need-to-know’ basis.

Sure, we get it. OpenAI is a not-for-profit, committed to ensuring that artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits all of humanity. Admirable, indeed. Yet, we’re asked to take a leap of faith based purely on trust and a few shiny demos when the AGI’s potentially expanding boundaries could, without exaggeration, revolutionize the way we exist, work, and communicate.

With OpenAI’s recently ballooned valuation of a cool $500 billion (we didn’t stutter), eyebrows have certainly been raised. Respectfully, these guys are playing in the same league as internet heavyweights like Facebook and Alibaba, but without having made a sizable dent in anyone’s pocket…yet.

There’s an undeniable need for experimentation, innovation, and bold moves in the tech industry, but here’s a little food for thought: just how much trust is warranted when key details are kept behind a wall of silence by the people claiming to be helping humanity? By the looks of it, OpenAI has a big job to do–a job that involves demystifying AI, sharing results, and above all, building confidence.

In the determined pursuit of a digital revolution, let’s just hope that OpenAI doesn’t forget that their true purpose is to serve humanity and not the other way around. After all, isn’t the future of AI supposed to be open? Just a thought.

Read the original article here: https://www.wired.com/story/openai-valuation-500-billion-skepticism/