On August 4, local time, a number of non-governmental organizations initiated an open letter requesting OpenAI to increase transparency on the company's restructuring plan. The open letter was promoted by Encode, The Midas Project, EyesOnOpenAI, and the California Nonprofit Alliance, and has been signed by many well-known individuals and organizations, including four Nobel Prize winners. Signatories include "AI Godfather" Jeffrey Hinton, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, etc.
The open letter pointed out that OpenAI plans to transform into a public interest company, which may weaken its non-profit mission and profit caps and other safeguards, raising concerns about profit pursuit and public interest protection. The letter also mentioned that OpenAI has failed to fulfill its transparency obligations, such as changing core commitments, suppressing internal voices, and violating security commitments. The open letter raised eight key questions, asking OpenAI to clarify whether it will continue to prioritize its charitable mission, maintain non-profit control, and disclose operating agreements and excess profit estimates. As of now, OpenAI has not publicly responded to relevant accusations and requests.