Behind the façade of ethics and technological progress, OpenAI and Meta are engaged in a real battle behind the scenes to attract (or retain) the best specialists in artificial intelligence. At the helm, two emblematic figures: Sam Altman, the boss of OpenAI and Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Meta. Their goal? According to the online media Futurism, it’s about getting a head start in the race for AGI, this artificial general intelligence that promises to revolutionize the world… or turn it upside down.
Faced with an AI program losing momentum, Mark Zuckerberg decided to go on the offensive. It openly targets OpenAI researchers and developers, offering them hiring bonuses of up to $100 million (around €85 million). An aggressive strategy that is starting to bear fruit. Meta has already managed to convince at least eight talents to join its ranks, and the offers continue to rain in.
Sam Altman organizes his response
Sam Altman, for his part, does not intend to let this happen. Furious to see his teams thus debauched, he reacted by granting a week’s leave to his employees, time for management to plug the breaches and organize the response. But the CEO is not content with licking his wounds: he has decided to attack Meta head-on by denouncing methods that he considers inelegant, reminding his troops that OpenAI’s mission goes far beyond simple financial considerations.
For Sam Altman, the difference is clear: “Missionaries will always beat mercenaries”he says. According to him, OpenAI is not just looking to achieve AGI, but to do it “in accordance with the rules of the art”with an ethical and responsible vision. He does not hesitate to tackle Meta, who, according to him, would only see the AGI as a means to achieve other less noble objectives.
A completely laudable profession of faith which can nevertheless make you smile: in the summer of 2023, Altman was temporarily ousted from his company, with some accusing him of having as his sole objective the commercialization of their AI.
At the heart of this battle between Meta and OpenAI, a promise. That of artificial general intelligence, capable of competing with the human mind. A distant dream for some, an imminent reality for others, AGI continues to fuel all ambitions and fantasies in Silicon Valley. Beyond the competition between two companies, it is the very future of AI that could be at stake here, with, in the background, an essential question: who will shape the AI of tomorrow, and how?
