OpenAI, San Francisco's most valuable tech startup and maker of ChatGPT, is working with the U.S. Department of Defense on applying its AI technology for cybersecurity and preventing veteran suicide, according to Bloomberg News.
The company recently changed its terms of service to remove language that barred its AI from use in "military and warfare."
During an interview with Bloomberg House at the World Economic Forum in Davos, OpenAI Vice President of Global Affairs Anna Makanju said the company is now developing tools for the Pentagon using open-source cybersecurity software and is in initial talks on methods involving AI that could be used to prevent suicide of military veterans.
“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 said at the conference.
The company maintains that its tech will not be used for weapons or cause people harm.
"Our policy does not allow our tools to be used to harm people, develop weapons, for communications surveillance, or to injure others or destroy property," an OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement. "There are, however, national security use cases that align with our mission. For example, we are already working with DARPA to spur the creation of new cybersecurity tools to secure open source software that critical infrastructure and industry depend on. It was not clear whether these beneficial use cases would have been allowed under “military” in our previous policies. So the goal with our policy update is to provide clarity and the ability to have these discussions."
OpenAI did not immediately return a request for comment.
The startup's largest investor, Microsoft, already has a number of military contracts, one of which drew consternation from employees who protested a $480 million U.S. Army contract to provide soldiers with augmented-reality headsets.
