[liberationtech] OpenAI adds Trump-appointed former NSA director to its board

Wed Jun 19 05:16:32 CEST 2024

Apologies to everyone for injecting email order chaos into the way I'm
replying to messages on this list. Will try to improve.

Anyway, great points, Arzak, especially these.

-Kate

> While NGOs play a critical role in advocating for AI safety and ethical
> considerations, their success is tempered by the fast pace of technological
> development and the powerful commercial interests driving AI innovation
> with very little opportunities and resources for participation in AI
> development especially for organizations from Global South.
>
>
> Arzak Khan
> Founder
> (I4C) Center for Artificial Intelligence and Human Rights
> www.i4caihr.net
> X:@arzakkhan
>
>
> On Tue, 18 Jun 2024 at 5:20 AM, Kate Krauss <katiephr at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> So OpenAI has a conflicted mission, a weak board, an insanely risky goal,
>> and no accountability (am I missing something?). Oh right, their product is
>> evolving at a million miles an hour.
>>
>> They've shed many of the staff and board members who cared most about
>> safety.
>>
>> Microsoft, their funder, could reign them in but it is motivated instead
>> to egg them on.  And now they've got a board member with very close ties to
>> two US presidents and one of the world's most powerful spy agencies. The
>> keys are on the table, as Juan Benet would say.
>>
>> I don't think OpenAI could be getting more press coverage--the coverage
>> has been near-constant and pretty responsible.
>>
>> Are the NGOs working on this having any luck?
>>
>> -Kate
>>
>>
>> On Sun, Jun 16, 2024 at 12:27 PM Andrés Leopoldo Pacheco Sanfuentes <
>> alps6085 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Sorry but “accountability” runs afoul of profit so many times, and the
>>>  “mission” of OpenAI is DoubleSpeak:
>>>
>>> OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company. Our mission is to
>>> ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.
>>>
>>> Regards / Saludos / Grato
>>>
>>> Andrés Leopoldo Pacheco Sanfuentes
>>> Pronouns: He/Him/They/Them (equal preference)
>>>
>>> On Jun 16, 2024, at 10:52 AM, Kate Krauss <katiephr at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> 
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> There is currently no accountability for the decisions at OpenAI, to my
>>> knowledge. What has to happen for that to change? The board is not working.
>>>
>>> How can the company be held accountable? I'm especially interested in
>>> the thoughts of policy people and lawyers on this list.  And yes, choosing
>>> a spy chief for the board is a big red flag.
>>>
>>> Sincerely,
>>>
>>> Kate
>>>
>>> On Sat, Jun 15, 2024 at 12:16 AM Sawsan Gad <sawsangad at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hello friends —
>>>>
>>>> I was so happy when Liberationtech was resurrected, and of course a
>>>> former head of NSA on AI is something that needs to covered and discussed.
>>>>
>>>> However, I hope we’re not quickly degenerating into Trump-this
>>>> Trump-that (and sensationalizing the title, only to realize the guy “was
>>>> asked to continue under Biden” buried deep down inside). (!)
>>>>
>>>> Journalists may need to do this kind of (… work..?) to keep their jobs
>>>> — god knows for how long. Normal people, not so much.
>>>>
>>>> People are working very hard to restore a basic level of trust among
>>>> family and friends, after the several political and civil abuses of the
>>>> last few years. Let’s please keep good spirits and stay relevant on the
>>>> things that we all care about, and not assume political leanings of others,
>>>> and that magic words will evoke certain reactions à la Pavlov.
>>>>
>>>> Now, back to discussing OpenAI. :)
>>>> (Sorry Kate if that’s too forward. All respect to you, thank you for
>>>> sharing the article).
>>>>
>>>> Sawsan Gad
>>>> PhD student - Geoinformatics
>>>> George Mason University
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Fri, Jun 14, 2024 at 8:05 PM Kate Krauss <katiephr at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Sam Altman, one of AI's most important leaders--at least for now--is a
>>>>> man with incredible contacts, wonderful social skills, and apparently few
>>>>> scruples. Appointing the former head of the NSA to OpenAI's board
>>>>> demonstrates that this company is unaccountable. This company puts
>>>>> Americans--and everybody else in the world--at risk.
>>>>>
>>>>> How can OpenAI be made accountable? The stakes are so high. Its board
>>>>> has already failed to contain it.
>>>>>
>>>>> Not even the worst part of this, but new board member Nakasone's hobby
>>>>> horse is that the US must out-compete China in generative AI.
>>>>>
>>>>> -Kate
>>>>>
>>>>> ps: What happens at OpenAI if Trump is re-elected?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> *Washington Post:OpenAI adds Trump-appointed former NSA director to
>>>>> its board*
>>>>> Paul M. Nakasone joins OpenAI’s board following a dramatic shakeup, as
>>>>> a tough regulatory environment pushes tech companies to board members with
>>>>> military expertise.
>>>>>
>>>>> By Cat Zakrzewski and Gerrit De Vynck
>>>>> Updated June 14, 2024 at 12:16 p.m. EDT|Published June 13, 2024 at
>>>>> 5:00 p.m. ED
>>>>>
>>>>> The board appointment of retired Army Gen. Paul M. Nakasone comes as
>>>>> OpenAI tries to quell criticism of its security practices. (Ricky
>>>>> Carioti/The Washington Po
>>>>> OpenAI has tapped former U.S. Army general and National Security
>>>>> Agency director Paul M. Nakasone to join its board of directors, the
>>>>> continuation of a reshuffling spurred by CEO Sam Altman’s temporary
>>>>> ousting in November.
>>>>>
>>>>> Nakasone, a Trump appointee who took over the NSA in 2018 and was
>>>>> asked to continue in the role under Biden, will join the OpenAI board’s
>>>>> Safety and Security Committee, which the company stood up in late May to
>>>>> evaluate and improve its policies to test models and curb abuse.
>>>>>
>>>>> The appointment of the career Army officer, who was the
>>>>> longest-serving leader of U.S. Cybercom, comes as OpenAI tries to quell
>>>>> criticism of its security practices — including from some of the company’s
>>>>> current and former employees who allege the ChatGPT-maker prioritizes
>>>>> profits over the safety of its products. The company is under increasing
>>>>> scrutiny following the exodus of several key employees and a public
>>>>> letter that called for sweeping changes to its practices.
>>>>>
>>>>> “OpenAI occupies a unique role, facing cyber threats while pioneering
>>>>> transformative technology that could revolutionize how institutions combat
>>>>> them," Nakasone told the Post in a statement. "I am looking forward to
>>>>> supporting the company in safeguarding its innovations while leveraging
>>>>> them to benefit society at large.”
>>>>>
>>>>> Amid the public backlash, OpenAI has said it is hiring more security
>>>>> engineers and increasing transparency about its approach to securing the
>>>>> systems that power its research. Last week, a former employee, Leopold
>>>>> Aschenbrenner, said on a podcast that he had written a memo to OpenAI’s
>>>>> board last year because he felt the company’s security was “egregiously
>>>>> insufficient” to stop a foreign government from taking control of its
>>>>> technology by hacking.
>>>>>
>>>>> Security researchers have also pointed out that chatbots are
>>>>> vulnerable to “prompt injection” attacks, in which hackers can break in to
>>>>> a company’s computer system through a chatbot that is hooked up to its
>>>>> internal databases. Some companies also ban their employees from using
>>>>> ChatGPT out of concern that OpenAI may not be able to properly protect
>>>>> sensitive information fed into its chatbot.
>>>>>
>>>>> Nakasone joins OpenAI’s board following a dramatic board shake-up.
>>>>> Amid a tougher regulatory environment and increased efforts to digitize
>>>>> government and military services, tech companies are increasingly seeking
>>>>> board members with military expertise. Amazon’s board includes Keith
>>>>> Alexander, who was previously the commander of U.S. Cyber Command and the
>>>>> director of the NSA. Google Public Sector, a division of the company that
>>>>> focuses on selling cloud services to governments, also has retired generals
>>>>> on its board. (Amazon founder Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)
>>>>>
>>>>> Until January, OpenAI had a ban on the use of its products for
>>>>> “military and warfare.” The company says the prohibition was removed to
>>>>> allow for military uses that align with its values, including disaster
>>>>> relief and support for veterans.
>>>>> “Our policies have consistently prohibited the use of our tools
>>>>> including our API and ChatGPT to ‘develop or use weapons, injure others or
>>>>> destroy property,’” OpenAI spokesperson Liz Bourgeois said. “That has not
>>>>> changed.” Nakasone did not respond to a request for comment.
>>>>>
>>>>> Nakasone brings deep Washington experience to the board, as the
>>>>> company tries to build a more sophisticated government relations strategy
>>>>> and push the message to policymakers that U.S. AI companies are a bulwark
>>>>> against China.
>>>>> “We want to make sure that American companies ... have the lead in the
>>>>> innovation of this technology, I think the disruptive technology of this
>>>>> century,” Nakasone said when asked about AI during a recent Post Live
>>>>> interview.
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> --
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>>>>
>>>>
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