philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

OpenAI launches global push for democratic AI

PhilNote: I currently agree with the idea put forth in Chris Dixon's book Read Write Own that as long as you have centralized control of a network (as proposed by Sam Altman here) you face the risk of arbitrary non-democratic changes by the network's leadership. The next generation of networks, including those that incorporate AI, could very well be decentralized and federated.

OpenAI announced a push to help countries build AI Infrastructure and promote AI rooted in democratic, rather than authoritarian, values.

Why it matters: Global expansion will be one key to ensuring that OpenAI's massive investments pay off — and the company is arguing that it will help the U.S. counter China's influence, too.

How it works: OpenAI chief global affairs officer Chris Lehane said the new "OpenAI for Countries" effort, announced Wednesday, aims to partner with countries or regions to build and operate data centers that would serve up localized versions of ChatGPT for their citizens, with particular focus on health care and education.

• Countries that take part would help fund infrastructure as part of a broadening of the Project Stargate effort that OpenAI announced with Oracle and SoftBank earlier this year.
• OpenAI will be working closely with the U.S. government, which has export control powers, to determine where OpenAI technology can be deployed.

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The big picture: OpenAI's announcement comes a day before CEO Sam Altman is set to testify before the Senate Commerce Committee at a hearing on "Winning the AI race."

See the full story here: https://www.axios.com/2025/05/07/openai-democratic-ai-expansion?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email