On March 4, Beijing time, Bloomberg reported that during a staff meeting held on Tuesday, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, emphasized that the company lacks the jurisdiction to determine how the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) utilizes its AI software. He pointed out that the notion of 'wanting to have a say in this matter' could be one of the contributing factors to the strained relations between the Pentagon and its competitor, Anthropic. Altman noted that although the DoD seeks OpenAI's professional insights on technological applications, the ultimate decision-making power regarding operations lies with the Secretary of Defense. He also disclosed that OpenAI's initial agreement with the DoD was concluded in haste, and supplementary clauses are currently being incorporated to delineate clear principles. These principles encompass bans on domestic mass surveillance and the development of autonomous weapon systems. Furthermore, Altman intends to persist in urging the DoD to reconsider its classification of Anthropic as a 'supply chain risk'.
