Original author: Sam Altman
Original translation: Deep Tide TechFlow
ChatGPT's second birthday just passed a little over a month ago, and now we have entered an era of new models capable of complex reasoning. The new year always prompts reflection, and I would like to take this opportunity to share some personal insights from this journey, as well as some of the gains along the way.
As we get closer to AGI, now is an important moment to review the progress our company has made. There are still many unknowns to explore, many questions yet to be solved, and everything is still in its infancy. But compared to when we started, we have learned a lot.
We founded OpenAI about nine years ago because we believed that AGI was possible and that it had the potential to become the most influential technology in human history. We wanted to find ways to build AGI and ensure that it could benefit humanity widely; at the same time, we yearned to write our own page in history. Our goals are extremely ambitious, and we firmly believe that this work can return society in equally grand ways.
At that time, hardly anyone cared about AGI. If anyone did, most did so because they thought we could not succeed.
In 2022, OpenAI was still a low-key research lab developing a project temporarily called 'Chat With GPT-3.5.' (We were indeed far superior in research than in naming.) We noticed that developers really enjoyed the experience of interacting with the model through the API's playground feature. So we thought that building a demonstration around this conversational experience could not only showcase future possibilities but also help us improve the model's performance and safety.
In the end, we decided to name it ChatGPT and officially launched it on November 30, 2022.
We always vaguely knew that the AI revolution would come one day, but we did not know what that moment would look like. What surprised us was that this release became that turning point.
The release of ChatGPT triggered an unprecedented wave of growth—whether within our company, the entire industry, or globally. We finally saw the immense potential of AI and could foresee more breakthroughs on the horizon.
The road is not smooth, and making the right choices has never been easy.
In the past two years, we have built an entire company around this new technology from almost scratch. In the face of such challenges, the only way to learn is through practice. When the technology itself is brand new, no one can tell you exactly how to do it.
Building a company at such a fast pace, with almost no existing experience to draw from, is bound to be chaotic. We often take two steps forward and one step back (sometimes even one step forward and two steps back). Although mistakes are constantly corrected in the process, when pioneering new territory, there is almost no ready manual or clear directional guidance. Moving quickly into the unknown is an exhilarating experience, but it is also a significant source of pressure for all involved. Conflicts and misunderstandings are inevitable.
These years have been the most fulfilling, interesting, and rewarding of my life, yet also the most exhausting and stressful. Especially in the past two years, it could even be said to be the most difficult time, but my deepest feeling is still gratitude. I know that one day, when I retire and sit on the farm watching the plants grow, feeling a bit bored, I will recall the days when I had the opportunity to realize my childhood dreams, and what a lucky thing that was. I try to remind myself of this every Friday, even when, by one o'clock in the afternoon, seven things have already gone wrong.
About a year ago, on a Friday, what caught me off guard was that I was suddenly fired during a video call, completely without warning. Just as we hung up, the board immediately published a blog post announcing this. I was in a hotel room in Las Vegas at the time, and the feeling was almost indescribable, like a beautiful dream suddenly turned into a nightmare.
Being publicly fired without any warning sparked several hours of chaotic situations, and the following days were filled with uncertainty. The strangest part was that state of 'information chaos.' None of us could get a clear answer about what had happened or why.
In my view, this whole incident is a governance failure, even though everyone involved acted with good intentions, including myself. Looking back, I certainly wish I had handled things differently at the time. I also like to believe that I am more mature and thoughtful today than I was a year ago.
This event made me realize that a board needs to have diverse perspectives and rich experiences to tackle complex challenges. Good governance must be built on a foundation of deep trust and credibility. I am grateful that many people worked together to establish a stronger governance system for OpenAI, allowing us to continue pursuing the mission of AGI for the benefit of all humanity.
Over the past year, my biggest realization is that I have so much to be grateful for and so many people to thank: thanks to all my colleagues at OpenAI who chose to invest their time and energy into realizing this dream; thanks to the friends who supported us in times of crisis; thanks to the clients and partners who trusted us, collaborated with us, and relied on our technology for success; and thanks to those in my life who have expressed their concern for me.
After that, we returned to work in a more united and positive way. I am incredibly proud of the focus we have shown since then. We accomplished some of the most outstanding research work in OpenAI's history. Our weekly active users grew from about 100 million to over 300 million. Most importantly, we continued to roll out technology that people truly love and that can solve real problems.
Nine years ago, we had no idea what we would eventually become. Even today, we only have a vague understanding of the future. The development of AI is filled with ups and downs, and we anticipate more challenges and opportunities ahead.
Among these changes, some are delightful, while others are full of challenges. The continuous emergence of research breakthroughs is exhilarating, and many former skeptics have now become staunch supporters. Of course, we have also witnessed some colleagues choosing to leave and become our competitors. With the team continuously expanding, personnel changes are inevitable, and OpenAI's pace of expansion is particularly astonishing. Startups typically experience personnel turnover with each scaling upgrade, and at OpenAI, such changes occur almost every few months. The changes of the past two years are almost equivalent to a decade of development for an ordinary company. When an industry-leading company grows at such a rapid pace, it's inevitable that the goals and priorities of team members will diverge. At the same time, as a leader in the industry, we also inevitably become targets of various criticisms and attacks, especially under pressure from competitors.
Our vision has always remained unchanged, but our strategies have continually adjusted and evolved over time. For example, in the beginning, we never thought we would need to build a product company; we thought we only needed to focus on doing excellent research. Similarly, we did not anticipate needing such a massive amount of funding to support our work. Now, we need to build many things that we could not even imagine a few years ago. And in the future, there will certainly be more new challenges that we currently find difficult to foresee.
We are proud of the achievements we have made so far in research and technology applications and are committed to continuing deep explorations in safety and benefit sharing. We have always believed that the best way to make AI systems safe is to gradually and rhythmically introduce them to the world, allowing society ample time to adapt and evolve alongside the technology. Continuously learning from practical applications and improving the safety of technology is essential. We are acutely aware that being a leader in global safety and alignment research is crucial, and this research needs to be guided by real-world feedback.
Today, we are confident that we have grasped the methods to build AGI as traditionally defined. We believe that by 2025, we may see the first AI agents 'joining the workforce' and significantly enhancing productivity in businesses. This will be a historic moment. We continue to believe that gradually putting excellent tools in the hands of people is the best way to achieve widespread and far-reaching impact.
We have begun to turn our sights toward more ambitious goals, which is the pursuit of true superintelligence. While we are passionate about our existing products, our mission is to strive for that beautiful future. With superintelligence, we will be able to achieve all possible goals. Superintelligent tools will greatly accelerate scientific discovery and technological innovation, helping us tackle complex problems that are beyond human capabilities alone, thus significantly enhancing societal wealth and prosperity.
Now, all of this may sound like science fiction, and discussing it may even seem a bit crazy. But that's okay—we've faced similar situations before, and welcoming such challenges again fills us with anticipation. We are very confident that in the coming years, everyone will see the prospects we see and recognize how important it is to maintain a high level of caution while maximizing universal benefits and empowerment. Given the potential and possibilities of our work, OpenAI is destined not to be an ordinary company.
Being part of this endeavor makes me feel both fortunate and deeply honored.
(Thanks to Josh Tyrangiel for the inspiration. I really wish we had more time to talk.)
During those days, many people put in tremendous effort for OpenAI and for me personally, but two individuals stood out particularly.
The help from Ron Conway and Brian Chesky has far exceeded the requirements of their roles, to the point that I don't even know how to express my gratitude. I had long heard of Ron's abilities and relentless spirit, and over the past few years, I have received countless assistance and advice from Brian.
But only in real crises, fighting side by side with people, can one truly see their extraordinary abilities. I can say without exaggeration that without their help, OpenAI might have collapsed. They worked tirelessly for several days until the problem was completely resolved.
Despite their intense workload, they remained calm, demonstrated clear strategic thinking, and provided invaluable advice. They prevented me from making several mistakes, while they themselves made none. They utilized their extensive network to meet all needs and successfully handled many complex situations. I am sure they did many things I am unaware of.
However, what moved me the most was their care, compassion, and support.
I once thought I knew how to support a founder and a company; to some extent, I did have some understanding. But I had never seen, nor even heard of, support like theirs. Now I finally understand why they have such a legendary reputation. They truly are exceptional and fully deserve such accolades. They all possess extraordinary capabilities to remove obstacles and provide help at critical moments, demonstrating unwavering commitment. Our tech industry is better because of them.
Of course, there are others like them. This is particularly significant in the tech industry, more important than people imagine, and it allows the entire industry to operate smoothly. I look forward to passing on this spirit.
From a more personal perspective, I especially want to thank Ollie for his support that weekend and always. He is unparalleled in every aspect, and no one could find a better partner than him.