OpenAI faces backlash for its Economic Blueprint for U.S.
The document lays out steps for the future regarding AI technology. Some call the move self-serving and another piece of the vendor's strategy to win the AI race.
An AI economic blueprint released by ChatGPT maker OpenAI has some AI experts and analysts skeptical.
OpenAI released the document Monday. It presents ways the U.S. can maximize AI's benefits.
In the blueprint, OpenAI said it wants to work with policymakers to ensure that the fruits of AI technology "are shared responsibly and equitably."
The document also highlights a strong AI infrastructure -- including computing clusters, a plentiful supply of AI chops and the massive amounts of energy needed to power them -- as an opportunity to ensure that the center of AI technology development remains the U.S., not China.
The AI vendor asks the U.S. government to clear the way for developing frontier models -- the largest, most advanced generative AI models -- to ensure that they promote U.S. economic and national security
The blueprint seeks to create an idealistic AI world powered by the best AI chips, putting the U.S. at the forefront of AI technology, with safety guardrails that do not inhibit innovation.
OpenAI's AI blueprint was released the same day the Biden Administration proposed new restrictions on the export of AI chips, a move that AI hardware-software provider Nvidia said "threatens to squander America's hard-won technological advantage."
OpenAI's benefit
Despite the suggestions in OpenAI's Economic Blueprint on the need for safety, skilling, standards and regulatory clarity, some see the document as self-serving for the AI vendor.
OpenAI and other companies in the AI ecosystem are trying to play to the gallery of the incoming Trump administration.
Kashyap KompellaAnalyst, RPA2AI Research
"OpenAI and other companies in the AI ecosystem are trying to play to the gallery of the incoming Trump administration," said RPA2AI analyst Kashyap Kompella.
"There are so many competing interests and layered priorities that are not always fully transparent," said James Cooper, professor of law at California Western School of Law in San Diego. "What is pretty clear is that for-profit companies are designed to increase shareholder profit."
Meanwhile, one of the document's overarching themes is urging the incoming administration to refrain from what the vendor considers rigid oversight of AI.
An effective regulatory framework, which includes the buildout of hardware and data center infrastructure, the ability to export AI and chips abroad, and the right approach toward training data and copyright protection, will determine who will win the AI race, Kompella added.
The vendor's blueprint also comes during the week that multiple news agencies, including The New York Times, are set to appear in court for a case regarding OpenAI's claim that its usage of content is protected under fair use guidelines. The hearing will determine whether the publishers have a right to proceed with their case.
In that context, the document appears to be a play on the future of AI, Kompella said.
"AI will be a prime mover of modern economies. So, whether you are a company or a country, leadership in AI is of strategic importance," Kompella said. "What we are seeing is companies making a case for their versions of the future, and as the closest rival to the U.S., China is a convenient bogeyman."
Lack of practicality
OpenAI's Economic Blueprint also fails to be practical or complete about what the U.S. needs, said Chirag Shah, professor in the information school at the University of Washington.
"These are all very aspirational, pie-in-the-sky kind of ideas," Shah said. "It doesn't address all the issues that the US economy faces, including inequality, inequities, including other kinds of infrastructure needs."
A document like this should not have come from just one vendor but perhaps from a group of vendors, like the AI Alliance, launched by IBM and Meta in 2023.
"I would like to see the involvement of nonprofits, government and educational institutions," Shah added. "I would like to see nonprofit professional institutions. Without that, this is very much a personal position and propaganda."
OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Esther Shittu is an Informa TechTarget news writer and podcast host covering artificial intelligence software and systems.
