OpenAI CEO Sam Altman made a surprising admission during a Reddit “Ask Me Anything” session: his company has been too secretive about its AI technology. Altman expressed personal support for publishing OpenAI’s research and acknowledged that the company’s historically closed approach to development has put them “on the wrong side of history” concerning open sourcing.
He emphasized, however, that this push for greater transparency is not a universally held view within OpenAI and, while he favors it, open-sourcing isn’t currently a top priority for the company. This internal debate highlights the tension between protecting intellectual property and fostering collaborative innovation.
Altman’s comments come as companies like DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup, are making waves with their open-source strategies. DeepSeek’s R1 chatbot has garnered attention for its performance and the company’s commitment to sharing its code, a stark contrast to the more guarded approaches of industry giants like OpenAI and Google.
What is Chinese DeepSeek’s model?
The open-source model allows developers to access, study, and modify the software’s underlying source code, fostering community development and potentially accelerating innovation. This collaborative approach is often at odds with the business models of private AI companies, which prioritize revenue generation and protecting their proprietary technology. While OpenAI has been more closed, other significant players like Meta, DeepSeek, and the French startup Mistral have embraced open-source development, positioning themselves as champions of accessibility and collaboration.
Sam Altman accepts DeepSeek’s model as “very good”
A Reddit user specifically asked Altman whether the emergence of DeepSeek and its open-source R1 chatbot has influenced OpenAI’s future model development plans. Altman acknowledged DeepSeek’s model as “very good,” but confidently stated that OpenAI will continue to develop even more advanced models. However, he conceded that OpenAI’s competitive advantage might not be as substantial as it has been in previous years, suggesting that the open-source movement and the rise of competitors like DeepSeek are creating a more level playing field in the AI landscape.