The big game might not be until tomorrow, but two of the world’s top AI startups have been trading blows all week.
Driving the news: Anthropic released a series of 30-second ads that will run during the Super Bowl, targeting OpenAI’s decision to include ads in the free version of ChatGPT.
The ads are pretty funny (even Sam Altman said he laughed), but they seem to have struck a nerve inside OpenAI. Altman also released a long and defensive statement calling them “clearly dishonest.”
Catch-up: The bad blood between these two is nothing new. Anthropic was actually founded by former OpenAI researchers who left the startup because of disagreements over its direction.
Why it matters: The ad pivot is part of what some have called the Facebook-ification of OpenAI. As it chases the capital to keep pace in the AI race, Altman appears to be shifting more of the company’s focus to making money, even if it means turning it into an advertising business.
In fact, about 20% of OpenAI’s staff are now Meta or Facebook alumni. That includes Fidji Simo, the architect of Facebook’s ad business, which is now the second-largest advertising platform in the world.
Unhappy with this direction, several senior executives and researchers have left OpenAI over concerns that it is prioritizing profits over safety.
Our take: Given the startup's history of flip-flopping, some skepticism is warranted over OpenAI’s promise that ChatGPT’s responses will never be influenced by advertisers. Recall that less than two years ago, Altman said advertising in AI chatbots is "uniquely unsettling" and called it "a last resort for us as a business model." Funny how burning through US$8.5 billion a year can change a person's perspective.—LA