Microsoft has stepped down from its observer role on OpenAI's board, and Apple will not assume a similar position due to increasing regulatory scrutiny of Big Tech’s investments in AI start-ups.
Microsoft, which has invested $13 billion in OpenAI, maker of the AI chatbot ChatGPT, announced its immediate withdrawal from the board in a letter to OpenAI.
Apple was also expected to take an observer role on OpenAI’s board as part of integrating ChatGPT into its devices but will not proceed, according to a source. Apple declined to comment.
OpenAI will now hold regular meetings with partners like Microsoft and Apple, and investors Thrive Capital and Khosla Ventures. This is part of a new strategy to engage key partners, led by Sarah Friar, OpenAI’s first CFO, an OpenAI spokesperson said.
The move comes amid antitrust investigations by the EU and US into the Microsoft-OpenAI partnership, reflecting broader competition concerns in the AI sector. Microsoft's non-voting board role followed last year’s upheaval when OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was fired and then reinstated days later, jeopardizing OpenAI’s valuation and Microsoft’s investment.
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