OpenAI CEO Sam Altman found himself facing backlash from ChatGPT subscribers on Thursday after his response to a user’s inquiry about new voice features. The controversy erupted amidst the rollout of OpenAI’s latest AI model, ‘o1’, which is designed to engage in deeper thinking before responding and tackle more complex tasks compared to previous iterations. Altman confirmed the full availability of ‘o1’ for all ChatGPT Plus and Team users. However, his response to a user’s question about the release of new voice features sparked controversy.
Altman responded with, “How about a couple of weeks of gratitude for magic intelligence in the sky, and then you can have more toys soon?” This remark was met with a wave of dissatisfaction from subscribers, who expressed their frustration through comments like “We pay $20/month!” and “The arrogance in this reply.” Some users even compared Altman’s response to Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s style of communication, highlighting a perceived lack of transparency. One user stated, “This comment kinda comes across like Elon Musk. I mean that’s who I would’ve assumed wrote it.”
OpenAI’s ‘o1’ model represents a significant step towards achieving human-like AI, but comes with a higher price tag and slower processing times compared to the previous GPT-4o model. Earlier this week, reports surfaced that ChatGPT’s parent company is in discussions to raise $6.5 billion in equity financing, potentially pushing its valuation to $150 billion. Meanwhile, OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever, who departed the company in May, has launched a new AI venture, Safe Superintelligence Inc. (SSI). In September, Sutskever’s AI startup secured $1 billion in funding from prominent investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, DST Global, and SV Angel. While OpenAI continues to advance its AI capabilities, the recent backlash highlights the importance of maintaining open communication and fostering a sense of community with paying users, particularly as the technology becomes more sophisticated and integrated into everyday life.
