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Speaking at a New York Times summit, the tech executive said that the outlet “is on the wrong side of history in many ways.”
By Alex Weprin
Media & Business Writer
OpenAI chief Sam Altman says that the rise of artificial intelligence will require a radical rethinking of the creative economy, with traditional compensation models for news, films, TV and other content likely to erode in the face of new technology.
Altman was interviewed by Andrew Ross Sorkin at The New York Times Dealbook Summit, where he was grilled on a number of topics, including his relationship with Elon Musk, potentially turning OpenAI into a for-profit company, and the rise of artificial general intelligence.
But Sorkin also noted that the Times is suing OpenAI and its partner Microsoft on copyright grounds, alleging that OpenAI illegally trained its models on Times content.
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“I think we do need a new deal, standard, protocol, whatever you want to call it, for how creators are going to get rewarded,” Altman said. “We need to have new economic models where creators can earn revenue streams.”
One example he gave was a system that compensated Sorkin if someone wanted to create something using an AI system in his style, or with his likeness.
He acknowledged that copyright and fair use are important, but also that OpenAI believes “that you need these right-to-learn approaches,” which would allow for content to be sued for AI training without necessarily infringing on copyrights.
The law, it should be noted, remains very much unsettled, though Altman told Sorkin that “I think that The New York Times is on the wrong side of history in many ways.”
OpenAI is also being sued by Musk, a co-founder of the non-profit and its main financier in its early years.
“I have different feelings about him now, but I am glad that he exists,” Altman said, drawing some laughter from the A-list crowd at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
When pressed by Sorkin as to whether Musk’s new role as the head of “DOGE” for the incoming Trump administration could result in retaliation against him or his company, Altman pushed back.
“It would be profoundly un-American to use political power to the degree that Elon has it to hurt your competitors,” he said. “I don’t think people would tolerate that. I don’t think Elon would do it.”
Altman also acknowledged that OpenAI has had conversations about converting itself from a non-profit into a for-profit entity, though it is complex, there are multiple structures being considered, and it could take years.
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