Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, voluntarily discussed the copyright lawsuit with The New York Times on the live episode of the podcast "Hard Fork." This lawsuit was initiated by The New York Times against OpenAI and its major investor Microsoft, accusing OpenAI of using their content without authorization when training large language models. Altman expressed dissatisfaction, especially with the requirement in the lawsuit that OpenAI must retain user data.
Altman said, "The New York Times is a great institution, but their current position is that we must retain these chat logs regardless of whether users are using private mode or requesting to delete chat records." He emphasized that OpenAI respects The New York Times' stance, but they will remain firm on user privacy.
During the show, Altman was also asked about OpenAI's relationship with Microsoft. Although the two companies were once close partners, recent tensions have arisen due to negotiations over new contracts, leading them to compete directly in some areas. Altman stated that any deep collaboration would inevitably face friction. However, he believes that the cooperation between the two companies will still bring significant value to both sides.
In addition, regarding users discussing conspiracy theories or suicide issues with ChatGPT when they are not in a good mental state, Altman said that OpenAI has taken several measures to limit this. These include terminating relevant conversations in advance and guiding users to seek professional help. He emphasized that OpenAI does not want to repeat the mistakes of previous technology companies that responded slowly, but they have yet to find an effective way to warn vulnerable users.
Under the dual pressures of competition and legal lawsuits, the leadership of OpenAI is doing their best to ensure the company's sustainable development and user safety.