Microsoft announced on Monday that it has hired Sam Altman, the co-founder of OpenAI and the company behind ChatGPT. The news comes after Altman was suddenly removed as the CEO of OpenAI last week, causing confusion in the AI world.
The announcement was made by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella who expressed excitement about bringing Altman and Greg Brockman, another OpenAI co-founder, and other managers from the company on board to lead a new advanced AI research team. Nadella also expressed interest in working with OpenAI’s new CEO, Emmett Shear.
Altman and Shear themselves confirmed the news on social media, with Shear describing his new position as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The removal of Altman came after an internal review at OpenAI. Meanwhile, Brockman stepped down as chairman of the board but remained as the company’s president.
OpenAI’s creations, such as ChatGPT and the Dall-E image generator, have brought generative AI into the mainstream, sparking debates about its use and ethical implications. With Altman joining Microsoft, there is potential for even more groundbreaking work in this field.