Is former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman planning new AI venture? Reports say...

Former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is already working on a new artificial intelligence company that could be launched soon, while former OpenAI president Greg Brockman is expected to join the 38-year-old in his latest venture. Sam Altman was ousted as CEO of OpenAI by the company's board on Saturday due to a "breakdown in communications".

According to a report by The Information, while the exact nature of this new venture isn't yet known, Altman's broader ambition is in developing AI. The report added that the former OpenAI CEO is in talks with semiconductor executives, including chip designer Arm, to develop new chips that could reduce the cost of running large language models such as GPT-4.

Shortly after Sam Altman's dismissal as OpenAI CEO, former OpenAI chairman and president Greg Brockman also resigned from the company, followed by a number of senior researchers at the company, including Szymon Sidor, but it's not clear whether these researchers will join Altman in his new venture, Reuters reported.

Earlier this year, some reports claimed that Altman and former Apple designer Jony Ive were in advanced talks with SoftBank's Masayoshi Son to raise more than $1 billion in funding to build the "iPhone of artificial intelligence".

Why was Sam Altman removed as OpenAI CEO? 

Sam Altman frequently clashed with the OpenAI board members more so with another co-founder Ilya Sutskeve who is also the chief scientist of the AI startup. A Bloomberg report noted that two techies clashed over how quickly to develop generative AI, how to commercialize products and measures that needed to be taken to mitigate their potential harm.

In a blogpost announcing Altman's removal as CEO, OpenAI wrote, “Mr. Altman’s departure follows a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities. The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI.”

Meanwhile, a statement attributed to the Board of Directors noted, “We are grateful for Sam’s many contributions to the founding and growth of OpenAI. At the same time, we believe new leadership is necessary as we move forward”