Sam Altman Regrets Ditching Open Source, Says He's Been on the "Wrong Side of History"
Feb 03, 2025 - futurism.com
Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has challenged OpenAI by demonstrating that its advanced AI chatbots can be replicated at a fraction of the cost using innovative methods. This development has significantly impacted the tech market, sparking discussions about the role of open-source code in AI. While DeepSeek and Meta have open-sourced their AI models, OpenAI has focused on proprietary software, with CEO Sam Altman expressing some regret over this closed-source approach. Despite this, OpenAI is prioritizing raising funds for its operations and has accused DeepSeek of using its models' outputs for training, highlighting a double standard.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg views DeepSeek's rise as a significant geopolitical challenge, emphasizing the importance of American open-source models. Despite market disruptions, Meta remains committed to its $60 billion AI investment. In response to DeepSeek's free AI app, OpenAI has announced that its o3-mini "reasoning" model will also be free. However, OpenAI is unlikely to open-source its models soon, and the broader implications of DeepSeek's disruption continue to unfold.
Key takeaways:
Chinese AI startup DeepSeek demonstrated that AI chatbots can be recreated at a fraction of the cost, challenging OpenAI's proprietary approach.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expressed regret about the company's closed-source strategy, but open-source initiatives are not a current priority.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg emphasized the importance of open-source AI models being American, in response to DeepSeek's rise.
OpenAI announced it will make its o3-mini "reasoning" model free, following DeepSeek's free AI app launch.
