Andrej Karpathy, founding member of OpenAI, quits
AI expert Andrej Karpathy, one of the founding members of OpenAI, has quit the Microsoft-backed company. "First of all nothing 'happened' and it's not a result of any particular event, issue or drama (but please keep the conspiracy theories coming as they are highly entertaining)," he wrote in a post on X. Without revealing much about his future work, Karpathy said, "My immediate plan is to work on my personal projects and see what happens."
Karpathy's background and contributions
Before joining OpenAI, Karpathy studied under the esteemed Stanford AI scientist Fei-Fei Li. He was among the first to join OpenAI, later moving to Tesla and eventually returning to OpenAI for a second term last year. At Tesla, he helped develop the electric car maker's driver assistance technology. Karpathy has been a strong supporter of large language models as a groundbreaking AI concept, likening them to a new type of computer operating system.
Impact of Karpathy's exit on OpenAI
Karpathy's exit is a significant blow to OpenAI. Before his departure, he worked with OpenAI's research chief, Bob McGrew, on creating an AI assistant product. The AI firm is improving ChatGPT so that it can automate intricate computer-based tasks. These tasks include completing expense reports and inputting them into accounting software. ChatGPT has also gained a new "memory" feature that allows the chatbot to remember you and your likes for a more meaningful conversation.
