In fact, the Open AI saga marks the start of a new, more grown-up phase for the AI industry. For Open AI, Mr Altman's triumphant return may supercharge its ambitions. For Microsoft, which stood by Mr Altman in his hour of need, the episode may result in greater sway over AI's hottest startup. For AI companies everywhere it may herald a broader shift away from academic idealism and towards greater commercial pragmatism. And for the technology's users, it may, with luck, usher in more competition and more choice.
To understand all these implications, start with what happened. Open AI's board fired Mr Altman for not being "consistently candid in his communications''. One factor that may have influenced the decision was disagreement over whether Open AI had struck the right balance between the speed and safety of its products. Insiders say that Open AI had made a breakthrough that enabled models to get better at solving problems without additional data. This spooked Ilya Sutskever, a co-founder and board member. Helen Toner, a board member affiliated with Georgetown University, had published an academic article that laid out what she saw as flaws in Open AI's approach to AI safety.
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