OpenAI Withholds New AI Text Generator Over Misinformation Fears
OpenAI unveils a highly convincing text-generating AI but refuses to release the full model due to concerns about fake news and abuse. The controversial decision sparks backlash from researchers who accuse the nonprofit of breaking its open-access promises.
OpenAI introduces a powerful new natural language model called GPT-2 that generates highly convincing and coherent text based on user prompts. The system trains on 40 gigabytes of internet text to predict subsequent words, resulting in a massive upgrade over its predecessor that easily adapts to various writing styles and topics.
Despite beneficial applications like improved dialogue bots and speech recognition, OpenAI fears malicious actors abuse the technology to generate fake news, impersonate individuals, and automate spam. The nonprofit demonstrates this risk by showing how the model effortlessly crafts a plausible but entirely false argument against recycling.
Citing safety concerns outlined in its charter, OpenAI only releases a scaled-down version of the model to the public. This unprecedented move draws heavy criticism from the AI community, as researchers accuse the organization of breaking its founding promise to share its research openly.