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General1w ago

Microsoft Ends Weird AGI Clause With OpenAI

Simon Willison1 min brief

In brief

  • Microsoft and OpenAI have quietly ended a unique agreement tied to the creation of artificial general intelligence (AGI).
    • This clause, in place since their partnership began years ago, stated that if AGI were achieved, Microsoft's commercial rights to OpenAI's tech would vanish.
  • Now, it appears this condition has been removed.
  • The original deal allowed Microsoft to commercially license some of OpenAI's pre-AGI technologies while supporting its mission to develop AGI for the benefit of all humanity.
  • However, defining when AGI is achieved proved challenging.
  • Earlier reports suggested that AGI would be reached when OpenAI could generate $100 billion in profit.
  • Now, an independent expert panel will determine this milestone, marking a shift in how progress is measured.
    • This change opens new possibilities for collaboration and innovation between Microsoft and OpenAI.
  • Moving forward, both parties will continue to focus on advancing AI technology while maintaining their shared commitment to ethical development.

Terms in this brief

AGI
Artificial General Intelligence — a type of AI that could perform any intellectual task that a human can. Unlike current AIs, which are designed for specific tasks like language or vision, AGI would be capable of understanding and learning any problem it encounters.

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