OpenAI Operating Principles for AGI Development

OpenAI has established a set of guiding principles designed to ensure that the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits all of humanity. The organization emphasizes that while AI has the potential to significantly increase individual agency and societal flourishing, the outcome depends on the decisions made now to prevent the consolidation of power and manage emerging risks.

Democratization of AI Power

OpenAI aims to prevent the consolidation of AI power in the hands of a small number of companies. To achieve this, the organization advocates for a decentralized approach where general AI is accessible to as many people as possible. This democratization extends beyond simple access to the technology; OpenAI states that key decisions regarding AI should be made through democratic processes and egalitarian principles rather than being decided solely by AI labs.

Empowerment and User Autonomy

OpenAI views AI as a tool to empower individuals to achieve their goals, learn, and pursue their dreams. The organization's product strategy focuses on enabling users to reliably accomplish increasingly valuable tasks while providing the autonomy and latitude necessary to meet diverse global needs.

To balance empowerment with safety, OpenAI follows a policy of erring on the side of caution in the face of uncertainty. The goal is to minimize both catastrophic harms and local or corrosive societal effects, relaxing constraints only as more evidence is gathered.

Strategies for Universal Prosperity

OpenAI believes that providing easy-to-use AI systems backed by significant compute power can drive new value creation and improve quality of life, particularly through scientific discovery. To realize this vision of universal prosperity, OpenAI identifies two primary requirements:

1. Economic Model Evolution: Governments may need to consider new economic models to ensure widespread participation in value creation.
2. Infrastructure Expansion: There is a need to build massive amounts of AI infrastructure and develop new technologies to drive down the costs of that infrastructure.

OpenAI notes that its investments in compute and global datacenter expansion, and its move toward vertical integration, are driven by this objective of reducing costs and increasing accessibility.

Resilience and Iterative Deployment

OpenAI identifies that AI introduces new risks that cannot be solved by any single lab. The organization emphasizes a society-wide approach to risk management, citing two specific examples:

• Biosecurity: Defending against the creation of new pathogens requires pathogen-agnostic countermeasures.
• Cybersecurity: Using AI models to secure open-source software and critical infrastructure while training models to help users create more secure software.

OpenAI utilizes a strategy of iterative deployment, which allows society to contend with, integrate, and understand each successive level of AI capability over time. This is complemented by technical alignment work and a commitment to collaborate with governments and international agencies to solve serious safety or societal problems before proceeding with further development.

Adaptability and Transparency

OpenAI acknowledges that the emergent behaviors of AI are unpredictable. Consequently, the organization commits to being adaptable and updating its positions as it learns more. This includes the possibility of trading off some user empowerment for increased resilience during certain periods.

Drawing on the experience of the initial release of GPT-2, OpenAI states that it embraces uncertainty by advancing capabilities carefully and learning from real-world interactions. The organization acknowledges its increased global influence and commits to transparency regarding when and why its operating principles change.