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Why Is Sam Altman a Free Man?

265 points · 240 comments · ragall

  1. bluegatty · · focus · HN ↗
    "OpenAI models attack websites and take anything they can out of them because that is the business model of the company."

    No, good gosh let's stop with the hyperbole.

    The models were given instructions to get answers by any means in a loose test harness, not to steal stuff, moreover, they're not 'learning from OAI staff'.

    If we are cynical, we could say the 'lax security was on purposes - hoping for a big media event'.

    And OpenAI is 100% responsible for the actions of their Agents - but lets' not overstate or conflate what is gong on.

    1. afry1 · · focus · HN ↗
      This is a misreading of that pull quote.

      They're not "learning from the OAI staff", but lawbreaking and disregard for regulation is absolutely at the heart of OpenAI. And the activities that this company takes (or doesn't take) directly influences what the models do (or don't do).

      The fish rots from the head down. Models don't learn, but I find "OpenAI models attack websites and take anything they can out of them because that is the business model of the company" completely correct.

      The rest of the paragraph from the article:

      > We do not have to get too deep into the nature-vs.-nurture argument to suspect that OpenAI executives’ cavalier attitude regarding the taking of information that is not theirs has filtered down to their researchers and the products they create. You don’t have to stretch to paint this picture: OpenAI models are attacking websites and taking anything they can out of them because that is the business model of the company.

      1. bluegatty · · focus · HN ↗
        "but lawbreaking and disregard for regulation is absolutely at the heart of OpenAI. "

        No it is not.

        What laws and regulations are they breaking?

        Their agents broke out of a harness and harassed some other sites, it's not good, but it's not specifically breaking laws. Other companies are treating it as accidental, it mostly is that.

        You're rhetoric here is agitating, conflating. This is my point.

        1. dspillett · · focus · HN ↗
          > and harassed some other sites, it's not good, but it's not specifically breaking laws

          I'm sure it would be considered a breach of the UK's Computer Misuse Act, and there are no doubt statues elsewhere that are relevant too.

          Once is an accident. Twice is incompetence. Three+ is, at best, pushing your luck to see what you can get away with.

          1. bluegatty · · focus · HN ↗
            If they broke laws then they would be investigated.

            And I totally support that.

            But I don't think they did.

            They could get sued, mind you.

            1. IAmBroom · · focus · HN ↗
              > If they broke laws then they would be investigated.

              Not a fact but a hope. Most lawbreaking is never investigated. It has to be discovered, the authorities have to be alerted, and then they have to choose to investigate. See the recent Cornell University gangrapes for proof that authorities can choose to simply not investigate.

              > They could get sued, mind you.

              If they didn't break laws, as you imply, the lawsuit should be tossed out as frivolous. (Spoiler: they did break laws.)

              1. bluegatty · · focus · HN ↗
                "If they didn't break laws, as you imply, the lawsuit should be tossed out as frivolous. "

                No, that's not how it works. Civil law is something completely different from criminal law.

                1. IAmBroom · · focus · HN ↗
                  Your claim is that you can be successfully sued without breaking a law. Cite.

                  Civil law is still based upon law.

                  1. bluegatty · · focus · HN ↗
                    Stop depending on others to 'cite' because you have no understanding of basic civics and don't want to look things up.

                    Most of civil law is related to things like breach of contract - not breaking any laws.

                    1. dspillett · · focus · HN ↗
                      Stop refusing to cite your facts and expecting others to instead prove their negative. You know that isn't how logic works, especially when talking about the law and there may be jurisdictional differences that impede a single objective logic. Or you don't know that, and I've just overestimated you as average-or-above.
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