OpenAI focusses on AGI after for-profit pivot OpenAI has abandoned plans to become a for-profit organisation following a backlash from users, staff and even co-founders, including Elon Musk. In a blog post this week, the ChatGPT firm announced that it would remain under the control of its original non-profit governing board as it shifts […]
OpenAI focusses on AGI after for-profit pivot
OpenAI has abandoned plans to become a for-profit organisation following a backlash from users, staff and even co-founders, including Elon Musk.
In a blog post this week, the ChatGPT firm announced that it would remain under the control of its original non-profit governing board as it shifts its planned restructuring efforts of its for-profit arm.
“Our for-profit LLC, which has been under the nonprofit since 2019, will transition to a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC),” the post reads, which is a “purpose-driven company structure that has to consider the interests of both shareholders and the mission.”
Last year, OpeanAI – which is led by Sam Altman – announced its plans to restructure into a PBC that would help it “raise more capital than we’d imagined” while staying on-mission. But the plan was met with a backlash, even prompting Musk – who is funding a rival AI company xAI – to launch legal action against the company he helped establish.
Musk claimed turning OpenAI into a for-profit would distract from its original goal of creating an Artificial General Intelligence. Altman this week predicted that AGI could arrive as soon as this year.
AGI—AI capable of understanding, learning, and applying knowledge across a wide range of tasks at a human level—is considered the holy grail of artificial intelligence research.
Apple eyes Google’s search throne
Apple is making plans to ditch Google Search as its default search engine, opening talks with several AI search startups who could replace the tech giant as the default option on internet browser Safari
Apple has a longstanding partnership with Google, which sees the search firm pay Apple billions annually to remain the default option on iPhones and Macs, but the vendor is reportedly testing its own proprietary search tools, potentially leveraging the power of generative AI.
The Californian phone maker has raised questions over Google’s search performance. In testimony at the recent Google antitrust case, Apple SVP of services Eddie Cue suggested that Google’s search traffic might be falling – something the Alphabet-owned firm was quick to deny.
US-EU tech talks falter over digital fines
Trade negotiations between the United States and the European Union hit a snag this week due to mounting tensions around digital regulations and taxes.
At the heart of the dispute are EU’s fines against US tech giants like Apple, Meta, and Amazon, over alleged violations of data privacy laws and anti-competition rules.
The EU’s stance, coupled with a looming $110 billion US tariff threat on European goods, has cooled what was meant to be a collaborative round of trade talks. US officials argue the fines are politically motivated and disproportionately affect American companies, while EU representatives insist, they are merely enforcing fair competition.
It comes as the UK completed a trade deal with the US that made no initial mention of the former’s Digital Services Tax, which was expected to be part of any agreement.
US pulls back on free Wi-Fi after Senate vote
The US Senate has voted to end a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rule that used federal funding to cover Wi-Fi hotspots that could be used outside of school and libraries.
The program, first implemented by former FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, applied funds from the $2.6 billion federal E-Rate program to a program that enabled schools and libraries to provide free Wi-Fi hotspots to children and others with poor or no internet access at home.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said the rule “violates the Communications Act, which clearly limits the use of the funds in question to classrooms and libraries.”
