‘A beacon to the field': OpenAI advisers urge robust role for nonprofit

Politico

2 days ago

The company's board of directors thanked the commission and the community leaders who gave input in a statement, saying it was valuable in ensuring OpenAI's technology benefits everyone.
'As we carry this mission forward, we remain committed to listening, learning, and building in partnership with those on the front lines of change,' as part of the board's commitment to the nonprofit, the statement said.
Vision for the nonprofit
OpenAI announced last year it would make its nonprofit parent company a shareholder of a for-profit parent company, and tasked the commission with advising on how the new nonprofit could be most impactful. The company later changed course in May amid public pressure, saying its nonprofit would instead oversee a for-profit public benefit corporation.
'Even if those external things hadn't been in motion … we still would have landed on 'a nonprofit is a good thing in AI. We need more of them,'' Zingale said. 'Putting the nonprofit in charge is even better.'
Bonta is already responsible for regulating the state's charities and making sure their resources aren't misused. But the commission — whose report repeatedly references the importance of the California and Delaware attorney generals' oversight over the nonprofit, due to where it's headquartered and incorporated — thinks Bonta should get more involved in the AI industry's development, much of which is housed in his state.
'We think it should be over AI more broadly, not just the one who chose to be a nonprofit,' said Zingale. 'We'd like to see that kind of oversight more evenly distributed across the sector.'
The commission's vision for the nonprofit is far more ambitious than that of a traditional grant-making organization. It argues OpenAI's nonprofit should fund various democratic, economic and social causes to prepare society for AI's future disruptions, while also nurturing human pursuits in arts and culture.
Those ideas span investments in statewide advocacy networks to gather public input on AI deployment, initiatives focused on algorithmic fairness in the workplace, apprenticeship pipelines within unions and AI literacy programs at libraries. They also want support for local museums, influencer cohorts and offline spaces.
Among the more risk-focused proposals are that OpenAI fund environmental groups exploring the harms of AI, as well as independent safety research and efforts to pressure-test AI systems by mimicking hackers.
Behind the scenes
The commission has been holding meetings and taking written comments from California nonprofits, civic groups, faith-based institutions and others over the past three months. Altogether, more than 500 people and 100 organizations gave their feedback, including the YMCA, the Clinton Foundation and the Greenlining Institute.