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OpenAI is working with the Pentagon on several projects, including the development of open-source cybersecurity software.

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A few days ago, OpenAI removed the language from its terms of service that prohibited the use of its AI for "military and warfare" applications.

Anna Makanju, vice president of global affairs at OpenAI, now tells Bloomberg that this decision is part of a broader policy update to account for new applications of ChatGPT and other tools.

According to Makanju, initial discussions are underway with the U.S. government about suicide prevention methods for combat veterans, meaning the use of ChatGPT in a therapeutic context, and OpenAI is working with the U.S. Department of Defense on open-source cybersecurity software.

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Cybersecurity, medicine, or therapy, including in a military context, are in line with OpenAI's new guidelines, which no longer prohibit explicit military use, but do prohibit using AI to harm other people or develop weapons.

"Because we previously had what was essentially a blanket prohibition on military, many people thought that would prohibit many of these use cases, which people think are very much aligned with what we want to see in the world," Makanju says.

OpenAI addresses societal issues

OpenAI has also recently unveiled new initiatives to combat the malicious use of AI in elections, including an image identifier for the DALL-E 3 AI tool.

Another is to democratize AI models to reflect a broader political spectrum. OpenAI has also created a new team to develop systems to capture public opinion and feed it into OpenAI's AI models.

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Summary
  • OpenAI recently removed the clause prohibiting the use of its AI for military applications and is now working with the Pentagon on projects such as open-source cybersecurity software.
  • The change in terms of use is intended to accommodate new applications of ChatGPT and other tools, including use in therapeutic contexts for suicide prevention in war veterans.
  • OpenAI also announced initiatives to combat the misuse of AI in the context of elections and to advance the democratization of AI models to reflect a broader political spectrum.
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Online journalist Matthias is the co-founder and publisher of THE DECODER. He believes that artificial intelligence will fundamentally change the relationship between humans and computers.
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