It turns out that OpenAI's status as a nonprofit might've been the most artificial thing about it.
Why it matters: A potential plan to move the generative-AI pioneer into the control of a fully independent for-profit outfit would remove any uncertainty over whether financial motivations are at the core of the ChatGPT maker's ambitions.
X on Thursday suspended independent journalist Ken Klippenstein's account after Klippenstein shared Sen. JD Vance's vetting document from the alleged Iranian hack of Donald Trump's campaign.
The big picture: The 271-page document includes research on Vance that the Trump campaign compiled to vet him as a potential running mate.
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy expects the company to remain the world's largest renewable energy-buying company for "several years to come," he said Thursday.
Why it matters: His comments signal that tech's outsized influence on green energy adoption will remain intact as AI reshapes demand for electricity and resources.
NEW YORK – The tension between profit and environmental impact raises questions for corporate America about whether business can ever meet the true definition of "sustainable."
Axios host/editor Niala Boodhoo, energy reporter Ben Geman and senior business reporter Hope King moderated conversations with Climeworks CEO Christoph Gebald; Amazon chief sustainability officer Kara Hurst; Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert; and EILEEN FISHER CEO Lisa Williams at Axios House for Climate Week and UNGA. The event was sponsored by Suntory Global Spirits.
Why it matters: Sustainability commitments have become a key business objective for many companies, but the impact of such pledges varies depending on how leaders see them through.
What they're saying: "We're not a sustainable company, we don't describe ourselves that way," Patagonia's Gellert said.
"Sustainability is taking less from a system than it can regenerate, and that doesn't define how we are able to run our business today. If anything, we're a responsible company in that we really sweat the details on the decisions that we make," Gellert continued.
Making money while actually doing good for the planet is a difficult thing to do. "It's a constant juggling match to make it happen, and to make it happen in an integrated way," Williams said.
One of the strongest ways the private sector can take action is through their purchasing power, and Hurst said Amazon has invested heavily in renewable energy.
Amazon made a commitment to be 100% renewable across their global operations by 2030. Hurst said they reached the goal last year, which was well ahead of schedule.
Sponsored content:
In a View From the Top sponsored segment, Maker's Mark managing director Rob Samuels explained how the company's distillery has embraced regenerative agriculture and helped their 26 growers do so, too.
"We have funded all of the research, all of the education for all 26 of these growers to embrace regenerative agriculture, which is moving away from heavy industrial farming that destroys the topsoil, that heavily relies on pesticides and fertilizers to this regenerative model," Samuels said.
Throughout my conversations at Axios House and in various meetings with chief communications and corporate affairs officers this week, not once did the words "press release," "media relations" or "social media" come up.
Instead we discussed public policy decisions, looming regulatory hurdles, amicus briefs, stakeholder management, corporate impact, sustainability and DEI strategies.
Why it matters: These conversations show where most communicators are spending their time, energy and resources.
OpenAI's board is continuing to consider restructuring the company in ways that might change its current control by a non-profit organization, but no final plan has been adopted, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Why it matters: As Axios reported last November, the ChatGPT maker began weighing governance changes in the aftermath of the boardroom battle that saw CEO Sam Altman fired and then rehired in the course of a week.
OpenAI CTO Mira Murati is leaving the company after 6½ years "to create the time and space to do my own exploration," she announced in an X post on Wednesday.
Driving the news: CEO Sam Altman announced the departure of two other executives and made several new appointments at the end of the day.
Meta unveiled a lower-cost version of its Quest 3 virtual reality headset Wednesday and demoed its prototype Orion augmented reality glasses alongside a significant expansion of its artificial intelligence efforts.
Why it matters: Facebook's parent company has shifted significant resources into AI but continues to operate the largest VR platform. A lower-cost headset helps bolster that position.
As the 2024 election cycle ramps up,at least26 states have passed or are considering bills regulating the use of generative AI in election-related communications, a new analysis by Axios shows.
Why it matters: The review lays bare a messy patchwork of rules around the use of genAI in politics, as experts increasingly sound the alarm on the evolving technology's power to sway or disenfranchise voters.
Steven Simoni, the cofounder of Allen Control Systems, wants to blast drones out of the sky while driving full speed. And he wants to do it with super-accurate bullets — not a pricey interceptor or wall of energy.
Why it matters: The company's Bullfrog autonomous gun turret was studied at a recent Technology Readiness Experimentation event hosted by the Pentagon.
It's back to the drawing boardfor the U.S. Air Force as air superiority is shaken by sophisticated drones, budget pressures back home and a growing appetite for mass, not rarity.
Why it matters: Fights abroad and industry's technological leaps are forcing militaries to rethink their biggest investments, including heavy armor and aircraft.
A new artificial intelligence tool could supercharge efforts to find new uses for old drugs, particularly rare diseases without a Food and Drug Administration-approved treatment.
The big picture: The Harvard Medical School researchers behind the tool, called TxGNN, write today in Nature Medicine that it can identify candidates for 17,000 conditions — the largest number of diseases that any single AI model can handle to date.
Adm. Lisa Franchetti,the chief of U.S. naval operations, wants to squash ship, submarine and aircraft delays as well as widely adopt robotics to prepare for potential war with China in 2027.
Why it matters: Flashy weapons are useless if you can't buy, build and repair them.
Meta's AI chatbot will start speaking this week, and its new voice capabilities will come in a variety of celebrity flavors.
Why it matters: AI providers are racing to expand their bots' capabilities from text- and image-making into the realm of voice as their battle to answer the world's questions continues.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman sees AI producing "massive prosperity" in a future that is "so bright that no one can do it justice by trying to write about it now."
Why it matters: That sounds pretty great, but "now" is where we all live and work — and right now, the tech industry is locked in an epic debate about whether AI can deliver on its flood of promises.
Former President Trump said early Wednesday after his campaign announced intelligence officials had briefed him on Iran's efforts to assassinate him that he believes Tehran "will try again."
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