OpenAI CEO’s California home attacked, man arrested

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The luxury San Francisco home of OpenAI boss Sam Altman was hit by a Molotov cocktail on Friday, the company said, as police announced the arrest of a suspect.

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No one was injured in the incident, and the firm behind the popular ChatGPT artificial intelligence chatbot would not confirm if the CEO was home at the time.

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The motive for the attack and subsequent threats to set fire to OpenAI’s San Francisco headquarters — apparently by the same 20-year-old man — were not immediately known.

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But they come as Altman’s profile has risen with the increasing use of AI, amid fears it could massively disrupt employment patterns and cause irreversible societal changes.

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Police in San Francisco responded after reports that someone had tried to set fire to a gate at the sprawling home.

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A statement from the San Francisco Police Department said officers were dispatched to the home just after 4:00 am (1100 GMT).

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“At the scene, officers learned that an unknown male subject threw an incendiary device at a home, causing a fire to an exterior gate. The suspect then fled on foot,” SFPD said.

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A short time later, they were called to the firm’s offices, where a man was making threats.

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“When officers arrived on scene, they recognised the male to be the same suspect from the earlier incident and immediately detained him,” the statement said of the unnamed 20-year-old suspect.

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A spokesman for OpenAI confirmed the attack on the chief executive’s residence and the threats to the San Francisco headquarters.

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“The individual is in custody, and we’re assisting law enforcement with their investigation,” the spokesman told AFP.

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– AI for war –

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Altman and OpenAI have become targets for people protesting AI as a threat to society.

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Detractors have been particularly troubled by OpenAI’s decision to provide its technology to the US Department of Defence.

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In a rare post on his personal blog, Altman shared a photo of his husband and their baby “in the hopes that it might dissuade the next person from throwing a Molotov cocktail at our house.”

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The OpenAI chief defended his convictions and called for a de-escalation of the rhetoric surrounding.

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“I empathise with anti-technology sentiments and clearly technology isn’t always good for everyone,” Altman wrote.

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“But overall, I believe technological progress can make the future unbelievably good, for your family and mine.”

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OpenAI last month said it was valued at $852 billion after a funding round that raised $122 billion.

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The figure reflects the surging costs of computing power and came amid lingering questions about whether OpenAI and rival companies can generate sufficient revenue to cover expenses.

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ChatGPT claims the top position in consumer AI, with more than 900 million weekly active users and some 50 million subscribers.

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Use of ChatGPT’s online search engine has tripled over the course of a year, according to OpenAI.

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AFP

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