Pity OpenAI’s human resources department. Since the start of the year, the maker of ChatGPT, the hit artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, has lost about a dozen top researchers. The biggest name was Dr Ilya Sutskever, a co-founder responsible for many of the start-up’s big breakthroughs, who announced his resignation on May 14.
He did not give a reason, though many suspect that it is linked to his attempt to oust Mr Sam Altman, the firm’s boss, in December 2023. Whatever the motivation, the exodus is not unusual at OpenAI. According to one estimate, of the 100-odd AI experts the firm has hired since 2016, about half have left.
