John Schulman, a co-founder of OpenAI and a pivotal figure behind the development of ChatGPT, has announced his departure from the Microsoft-backed company to join Anthropic, an AI startup funded by Amazon. Schulman disclosed his decision in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on August 5, citing his desire to deepen his focus on AI alignment and return to hands-on technical work.
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“This choice stems from my desire to deepen my focus on AI alignment and to start a new chapter of my career where I can return to hands-on technical work,” Schulman stated. “I’ve decided to pursue this goal at Anthropic, where I believe I can gain new perspectives and do research alongside people deeply engaged with the topics I’m most interested in.”
Focus on AI Alignment
Schulman’s departure from OpenAI is not a reflection of any discord or lack of support for alignment research at his former company. On the contrary, Schulman acknowledged that OpenAI has been committed to investing in AI alignment research. His move is a personal decision aimed at focusing his efforts on AI alignment, a field concerned with ensuring AI systems’ goals are in harmony with human values and ethics.
Context of Schulman’s Departure
Schulman’s exit follows the disbandment of OpenAI’s superalignment team, which aimed to ensure human control over AI systems surpassing human capabilities. Both leaders of this team, Jan Leike and company co-founder Ilya Sutskever, left earlier this year. Leike joined Anthropic, while Sutskever is now involved in starting a new venture, Safe Superintelligence.
Schulman had a significant role at OpenAI, co-leading the post-training team that refined AI models for ChatGPT and other applications. In June, he was appointed head of alignment science and joined a safety and security committee to advise OpenAI’s board.
Changes at OpenAI
Schulman’s departure is part of a broader trend of senior figures leaving OpenAI. Earlier this year, Ilya Sutskever, OpenAI’s chief scientist, and Peter Deng, a product manager, also left the company. These exits came after the controversial firing and subsequent reinstatement of CEO Sam Altman last November, which led to the replacement of most of the directors involved in Altman’s initial firing.
Additionally, Greg Brockman, OpenAI’s president and another co-founder, announced he would take a sabbatical for the rest of the year. These leadership changes indicate a period of transition and reorganization within OpenAI.
Competitive Landscape
OpenAI and Anthropic, both San Francisco-based companies, are engaged in a competitive race to develop advanced generative AI models capable of producing human-like text. Since its establishment by former OpenAI staff in 2021, Anthropic has emerged as a significant player in the AI field, attracting talent and investment from major tech firms like Amazon.
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The AI industry continues to grow rapidly, with global AI deal values reaching $331 billion in 2023, up from $211 billion in 2022. However, there has been volatility, with the value of deals peaking at $119 billion in the second quarter of 2023 before dropping to $68 billion in the third quarter. Despite these fluctuations, the total AI market is projected to be worth $908.7 billion by 2030.