OpenAI unveils plans to advance secure AGI development by adopting public interest enterprise model

by
Alyssa Davidson

Posted: December 27, 2024 1:30 PM Updated: December 27, 2024 4:24 PM

by well

Correction and fact check date: December 27, 2024, 1:30 p.m.

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Artificial intelligence research organization OpenAI has announced that its board of directors is currently evaluating its corporate structure to better align with its mission to ensure that artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits all humanity.

OpenAI currently operates with non-profit and for-profit organizations. The plan going forward is to maintain both structures. Success for for-profit organizations helps fund and sustain nonprofits and positions them more effectively to support their broader missions. OpenAI sees this mission as a critical one that must balance the advancement of AI capabilities, safety, and positive global impact.

As OpenAI looks ahead to 2025, we recognize the need to evolve beyond research labs and startups into a more enduring enterprise. The Board of Directors, with guidance from external legal and financial advisors, is focused on determining the best structural approach to advance OpenAI’s mission.

OpenAI outlines its main goals before innovating.

Key goals include selecting a nonprofit/for-profit model that supports long-term success. The plan is to convert the existing for-profit corporation into a Delaware Public Service Corporation (PBC), a structure commonly used by other corporations that balances shareholder interests and public interest considerations. This move will help OpenAI raise capital while maintaining its mission-driven focus.

Another goal is to make non-profit organizations sustainable. The proposed structure will ensure that the nonprofit becomes one of the most resourced organizations in history. This includes PBC’s not-for-profit holdings, the value of which is determined by independent financial advisors. This approach multiplies the impact of donor contributions by increasing available resources.

The main goal is to better equip each part of the organization to perform its role. OpenAI’s current structure limits the board’s ability to consider the interests of those who fund its mission and limits the nonprofit’s ability to do more than control its for-profit counterparts. Under the new model, PBC will manage OpenAI’s business operations, while the nonprofit will focus on philanthropic work in areas such as health, education and science, with the support of its own leadership and staff.

The organization emphasizes that as the world transitions to new economic infrastructures, including energy, land use, chips, data centers, data, and AI models and systems, it aims to advance with these developments.

OpenAI is dedicated to advancing the research and development of AGI, a form of AI designed to understand, learn, and apply knowledge across a variety of tasks in a manner similar to human intelligence. Generative models have attracted attention, especially ChatGPT, a popular chatbot technology. Recently, OpenAI released ChatGPT Pro, a new subscription plan that unveils improvements to the O1 model and provides users with improved access to OpenAI’s premium models and tools.