The true state of AI today: a cesspool of greed, corruption and chicanery. Wars are lucrative; perhaps the only way OpenAI will ever turn a profit. Silicon Valley ethics on display once again...
In 1990, I believed in democracy and a free and social market economy. Over the past 30 years, I have increasingly lost this belief, but hope has remained nonetheless.
I 100% agree. I try to do my best "unto others" as often as I can. I get joy from focusing on local matters (volunteering and such) and trying to make a positive impact on one's community. But I'm not a big fan of the human species. We're a narrow-minded, selfish animal when push comes to shove. Our veneer of civilized behaviour is mostly that - a veneer. I strongly believe we deserve everything that's coming to us - as a species. But that doesn't mean one can't live a positive and fulfilling life in one's community and try to make a positive impact. Outside of that we've really not got that much input or control. Take care mate.
Yeah. It's sad that we seem to have descended from a particularly nasty breed of monkey. I don't see our species surviving the technological age for much longer at all. We're just too vicious to survive with advanced weapons at hand.
Egalitarian counterdominance is an even weaker form of social control than democracy. It allowed for the formation of hunter-gatherer societies but failed once accumulation of capital and power became possible.
And it's nonsense to say that democracy *disallows* youth participation. Youth can apply counterdominance--witness Greta Thunberg--it just isn't very effective. And youth are impressionable and intensely indoctrinated so they can easily be turned against their own interests and toward the interests of the bullies--see Hitler's Youth, "Good News Clubs", and the "pro-life" cadres.
I see no reason whatsoever to believe - particularly given track records here - that OpenAI is going to put in place and keep in place the restrictions that Anthropic insisted on, regardless of what they say publicly now. Even if one assumes Altman isn’t lying outright, there is certainly room for interpretation in his statement. Maybe this outcome was also the corrupt game all along regardless, but I very much doubt OpenAI is subbing in on the same terms.
David F George: That's the BEST QUESTION OUT THERE. My first reaction is this: Trump's vindictive nature and practice of applying it. Cross Trump/Pay bigtime forever.
A timely remembrance: Trump threw out the nuclear agreement Obama made with Iran--why would he do that? I don't know, but my guess is that it heralds from the same source but coupled with several other of Trump's self-serving "needs." (Do you want a list?)
Also, the plausibility for THAT is playing out right now on our TV screens where the mediating representative from Oman (concerning the USA-Iran relationship) came away happy from his meeting with J. D. Vance thinking the US would be happy with the new offers from IRAN that included accepting overseers AND access to minerals, etc., for U.S. companies.
And then the next morning: BOOM.
(This came from a live interview with David Rohde on MSNow's Velshi (this morning/ Saturday) recounting Rohde's conversations "yesterday" with the Iran-trusted Oman foreign minister mediating rep. Steve Witkoff. Rohde used the term "excited" to describe Witkoff's sense of things going forward at that time.)
"Even if one assumes Altman isn’t lying outright, there is certainly room for interpretation in his statement."
That's how Altman lies and manipulates people; he makes vague statements he thinks will be interpreted by those he's trying to fool as supporting their views, but every move, every decision is based on Altman's view and quest for money, fame, control, and power. He is evil and has long ago lost all credibility.
"anything else reeks of corruption": Don't kid yourself. This is outright corruption, I am sure as I just recently passed my company's anti-corruption training :-) One of the easier patterns of "greasing the skid" to recognize.
"In oligarchy, connections and donations decide. It sure look like the US is transitioning from the former to the latter." The view from the UK (where we're not being slowly boiled) is that the US crossed the Rubicon from "representative democracy" to "authoritarian fascist dictatorship" on 4 July 2025 - the day Trump got funding for his Sturmabteilung (in preparation for the midterms).
I so much doubt the $25 million donation sealed the deal. No big machine is so easy to sway.
I all likelihood the DoD does want the cooperation of all AI companies and enough money to spare, because AI is going to become immensely strategic for the next 10 years or so.
But you must agree to play nice with the DoD, which means you offer the services and do not ask questions.
Gary, it does not appear that the deal given to OpenAI was under the terms that Anthropic’s requested. The Community Note at the bottom of Sam’s post clarifies what we already know…that he’s a lying PoS. I can’t post the screenshot here apparently, but here’s what it says, “Government officials have contradicted Sam’s claim, saying OpenAI will allow the DoW to use their models for “all lawful purposes”. This could allow for uses Anthropic refused to engage in, namely mass surveillance tools and weapons systems with no human oversight.”. Sounds like exactly what Anthropic’s was trying to prevent and what Sam claimed is in OpenAI’s agreement with the DoW…except he’s misleading again. What’s not to dislike about Sam?…nothing 🤦🏽♂️
OpenAI and Anthropic are the same thing. Anthropic spun out of OpenAI which spun out of DARPA. They’ve always been pentagon property. They’re both owned by Google, Amazon, and Microsoft
The US hasn't been a functioning democracy since January 20, 2025. It's just even more obvious to folks now that the corruption, grift, and oligopolistic behavior is just nakedly done.
This is what happens when there's no accountability, no opposition, and when most people don't vote.
I think it started much earlier than that, with the Supreme Court's presidential immunity decision. I didn't sleep one wink that night, imagining exactly what we're now going through.
Transition period is over, Gary. We are now a kleptocratic oligarchy run by a kakistocracy, and they are well dug in. Representative democracy is on life support, and one wonders how a center coalition can come together to neutralize Trump's craziness. We hope for the midterms, but they cannot come soon enough.
“Transitioning”???!!!??? We are well past mere oligarchy at this stage. I’m leaning towards dictatorial favoritism as a description of the present system.
lets see... arbitrarily kidnapping and executing citizens in the street, supplying and defending a genocide in broad daylight, another regime change attempt every quarter, justice wrapped in a pretzel to un-see the sprawling network of pedophile execs and pols, who've been blackmailed for years as a result.... The word is fascism.
And both Anthropic and OpenAI falling over themselves to get a cut supplying software to automate whatever policy these miscreants invent.
Any statements by Altman in support of Agentic are now completely suspicious at best, and evidence of a Trump-like negotiation tactic at worst: pretending you're for something and deploying tactics to achieve the opposite outcome.
Altman is a sneaky 🐍snake, be in no doubt. Yet in the world of billion $ deals then likely double-crossing sneaks is a bonus - just ask the ex-board of OpenAI!
Transitioned (past tense
100%. At some point, we have to hope there is a US Congress interested in…<checks notes> doing the job assigned to it by the US Constitution.
Don't hold your breath
Republicans won't ... so vote them out.
If only there were some mechanism to put said type of Congress in office.
The true state of AI today: a cesspool of greed, corruption and chicanery. Wars are lucrative; perhaps the only way OpenAI will ever turn a profit. Silicon Valley ethics on display once again...
In 1990, I believed in democracy and a free and social market economy. Over the past 30 years, I have increasingly lost this belief, but hope has remained nonetheless.
I 100% agree. I try to do my best "unto others" as often as I can. I get joy from focusing on local matters (volunteering and such) and trying to make a positive impact on one's community. But I'm not a big fan of the human species. We're a narrow-minded, selfish animal when push comes to shove. Our veneer of civilized behaviour is mostly that - a veneer. I strongly believe we deserve everything that's coming to us - as a species. But that doesn't mean one can't live a positive and fulfilling life in one's community and try to make a positive impact. Outside of that we've really not got that much input or control. Take care mate.
Yeah. It's sad that we seem to have descended from a particularly nasty breed of monkey. I don't see our species surviving the technological age for much longer at all. We're just too vicious to survive with advanced weapons at hand.
Democracy is inherently broken as it disallows youth participation, so can never achieve what egalitarian counterdominance can.
Egalitarian counterdominance is an even weaker form of social control than democracy. It allowed for the formation of hunter-gatherer societies but failed once accumulation of capital and power became possible.
And it's nonsense to say that democracy *disallows* youth participation. Youth can apply counterdominance--witness Greta Thunberg--it just isn't very effective. And youth are impressionable and intensely indoctrinated so they can easily be turned against their own interests and toward the interests of the bullies--see Hitler's Youth, "Good News Clubs", and the "pro-life" cadres.
The rules of democracy are not broken; they should simply apply to everyone!
When you say democracy, do you mean majority rules? What are the rules of democracy you're referring to?
I see no reason whatsoever to believe - particularly given track records here - that OpenAI is going to put in place and keep in place the restrictions that Anthropic insisted on, regardless of what they say publicly now. Even if one assumes Altman isn’t lying outright, there is certainly room for interpretation in his statement. Maybe this outcome was also the corrupt game all along regardless, but I very much doubt OpenAI is subbing in on the same terms.
"Even if one assumes Altman isn’t lying outright" That is a very very big "if", with a minuscule chance of being even in the same room as truth.
This is gangster capitalism.
Why would US Government allow OpenAI to apply the same terms?
David F George: That's the BEST QUESTION OUT THERE. My first reaction is this: Trump's vindictive nature and practice of applying it. Cross Trump/Pay bigtime forever.
A timely remembrance: Trump threw out the nuclear agreement Obama made with Iran--why would he do that? I don't know, but my guess is that it heralds from the same source but coupled with several other of Trump's self-serving "needs." (Do you want a list?)
Also, the plausibility for THAT is playing out right now on our TV screens where the mediating representative from Oman (concerning the USA-Iran relationship) came away happy from his meeting with J. D. Vance thinking the US would be happy with the new offers from IRAN that included accepting overseers AND access to minerals, etc., for U.S. companies.
And then the next morning: BOOM.
(This came from a live interview with David Rohde on MSNow's Velshi (this morning/ Saturday) recounting Rohde's conversations "yesterday" with the Iran-trusted Oman foreign minister mediating rep. Steve Witkoff. Rohde used the term "excited" to describe Witkoff's sense of things going forward at that time.)
Because they know Altman is a liar who will ultimately do whatever they ask.
Did you miss the part about the $25M donation?
"Even if one assumes Altman isn’t lying outright, there is certainly room for interpretation in his statement."
That's how Altman lies and manipulates people; he makes vague statements he thinks will be interpreted by those he's trying to fool as supporting their views, but every move, every decision is based on Altman's view and quest for money, fame, control, and power. He is evil and has long ago lost all credibility.
"anything else reeks of corruption": Don't kid yourself. This is outright corruption, I am sure as I just recently passed my company's anti-corruption training :-) One of the easier patterns of "greasing the skid" to recognize.
You are too kind, Gary. It's not oligarchy. It's much worse, it's pathocracy, and it has no rules.
"In oligarchy, connections and donations decide. It sure look like the US is transitioning from the former to the latter." The view from the UK (where we're not being slowly boiled) is that the US crossed the Rubicon from "representative democracy" to "authoritarian fascist dictatorship" on 4 July 2025 - the day Trump got funding for his Sturmabteilung (in preparation for the midterms).
I so much doubt the $25 million donation sealed the deal. No big machine is so easy to sway.
I all likelihood the DoD does want the cooperation of all AI companies and enough money to spare, because AI is going to become immensely strategic for the next 10 years or so.
But you must agree to play nice with the DoD, which means you offer the services and do not ask questions.
I agree. It’s the lesson that has the value, be compliant reap the rewards, resist and be punished hard. The donation is the cherry on the top.
Gary, it does not appear that the deal given to OpenAI was under the terms that Anthropic’s requested. The Community Note at the bottom of Sam’s post clarifies what we already know…that he’s a lying PoS. I can’t post the screenshot here apparently, but here’s what it says, “Government officials have contradicted Sam’s claim, saying OpenAI will allow the DoW to use their models for “all lawful purposes”. This could allow for uses Anthropic refused to engage in, namely mass surveillance tools and weapons systems with no human oversight.”. Sounds like exactly what Anthropic’s was trying to prevent and what Sam claimed is in OpenAI’s agreement with the DoW…except he’s misleading again. What’s not to dislike about Sam?…nothing 🤦🏽♂️
OpenAI and Anthropic are the same thing. Anthropic spun out of OpenAI which spun out of DARPA. They’ve always been pentagon property. They’re both owned by Google, Amazon, and Microsoft
They’re not the same, but i get your point.
They’re identical. One has a ceo that virtue signals the other has a sister….
🤣
The US hasn't been a functioning democracy since January 20, 2025. It's just even more obvious to folks now that the corruption, grift, and oligopolistic behavior is just nakedly done.
This is what happens when there's no accountability, no opposition, and when most people don't vote.
The US is a failed state.
I think it started much earlier than that, with the Supreme Court's presidential immunity decision. I didn't sleep one wink that night, imagining exactly what we're now going through.
Transition period is over, Gary. We are now a kleptocratic oligarchy run by a kakistocracy, and they are well dug in. Representative democracy is on life support, and one wonders how a center coalition can come together to neutralize Trump's craziness. We hope for the midterms, but they cannot come soon enough.
Maron Feneco: Yes, and the Trump regime is doing everything they can to either end or seriously damage voter turnout or the elections themselves.
“Transitioning”???!!!??? We are well past mere oligarchy at this stage. I’m leaning towards dictatorial favoritism as a description of the present system.
lets see... arbitrarily kidnapping and executing citizens in the street, supplying and defending a genocide in broad daylight, another regime change attempt every quarter, justice wrapped in a pretzel to un-see the sprawling network of pedophile execs and pols, who've been blackmailed for years as a result.... The word is fascism.
And both Anthropic and OpenAI falling over themselves to get a cut supplying software to automate whatever policy these miscreants invent.
Any statements by Altman in support of Agentic are now completely suspicious at best, and evidence of a Trump-like negotiation tactic at worst: pretending you're for something and deploying tactics to achieve the opposite outcome.
It is too contradictory to imagine that Altperson might exhibit either a conscience or ethics. We should be relieved that things are back to 'normal'.
Altman is a sneaky 🐍snake, be in no doubt. Yet in the world of billion $ deals then likely double-crossing sneaks is a bonus - just ask the ex-board of OpenAI!
What is this "Fair Play", and where can I go to find it? You understand these people are all criminals to varying degrees, don't you?
I'm pretty sure we've been an oligarchy for at least a half century.
I've lived in an oligarchy most of my life. Meritocracy falls first, then the freedoms. You have no idea how far this slippery slope descends.