OpenAI’s Lies and Half-Truths
We recorded 8 claims from this post. 5 were checked against evidence. 3 can’t be checked. 3 more are held. Read the post at its source.
Claims from this post (8)
In the order they appear in the post. Each quotation is the speaker’s words in this post. A label such as “Supported” or “Can’t be checked” is the claim’s current assessment; its page has the evidence and the reasons.
Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid
Observation
“Aside from all that, Murati claimed she had no idea what specific data Sora was trained on; given her role as CTO that seems all but inconceivable.”
Our reading: Given her role as CTO, it seems all but inconceivable to Marcus that Mira Murati had no idea what specific data Sora was trained on.
No horizon
Qualifier: given her role as CTO
Assessment: UnresolvedSaid
Observation
“Translation: We are happy to let the public believe that we are open, but it’s really just a recruiting promise that we don’t intend to live up to (Ilya, January 2016) – but we shouldn’t disabuse people of that notion (Sam, May 2016).”
Our reading: OpenAI's 2015 openness pledge was a recruiting promise its leaders did not intend to keep, while letting the public believe it was open.
No horizon Evidence as of
Limitation: The recruitment passage is documented through reputable reporting of the released email because the accessible company text was abbreviated.
Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid
Observation
“Meanwhile, phrases in official filings like“Charitable” and “For the public benefit” don’t seem to have meant much at all.”
Our reading: Phrases in OpenAI's official filings such as 'Charitable' and 'For the public benefit' don't seem to have meant much at all.
No horizon
Qualifier: don't seem to have
Assessment: SupportedSaid
Observation
“Translation: Using a well-known algorithm that we didn’t invent to decide which faces of the cube to turn, we taught a robot to do motor control on a specially instrumented Rubik’s cube with bluetooth sensors inside.”
Our reading: In practice, OpenAI's 2019 claim of 'solving a Rubik's cube with one hand' meant using a well-known algorithm OpenAI didn't invent to choose which faces to turn, and teaching a robot motor control on a specially instrumented Rubik's cube with Bluetooth sensors inside.
No horizon Evidence as of
Limitation: Support applies to the stated use of instrumented hardware, not exclusive reliance on it.
Assessment: UnresolvedSaid
Observation
“Translation : We will never, ever give you advanced access to red-team any of our software. [Narrator: and they never have.]”
Our reading: Despite Greg Brockman's 2020 promise, OpenAI has never given Marcus advance access to red-team any of its software.
No horizon Evidence as of
Limitation: Much of the available access reporting traces back to Marcus's own account.
Assessment: UnresolvedSaid
Observation
“Translation: But I do have equity in YCombinator and YCombinator has equity in OpenAI. It’s probably worth a lot, but you wouldn’t like me as much if I acknowledged that, so I won’t. Also, did I mention I own the OpenAI venture fund? Nope, guess not, sorry.”
Our reading: In his May 2023 Senate testimony, Sam Altman left out his indirect OpenAI stake through Y Combinator and his ownership of the OpenAI venture fund.
No horizon Evidence as of
Limitation: This is an evidentiary hold, not a finding that either interest was absent.
Assessment: SupportedSaid
Observation
“Translation: But (revealed a few weeks later) behind the scenes we will try hard to water down your regulations.”
Our reading: While publicly asking the Senate to regulate it, OpenAI worked behind the scenes to water down regulations.
No horizon Evidence as of
Limitation: The documented request concerned the EU AI Act; it does not establish efforts to weaken a U.S. Senate proposal [e2].
Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid
Recommendation or value judgment
“As the company gears up to upload your private email, calendar, and documents, possibly for eventual resale to advertisers, that’s something worth considering.”
Our reading: As OpenAI gears up to upload users' private email, calendar, and documents, possibly for eventual resale to advertisers, its lack of full candor is something worth considering.
No horizon
Qualifier: as the company gears up to upload your private email, calendar, and documents
Held from this post (3)
These records did not pass every check, so nothing about them is published. Held is not a finding.
- The two reviews read the claim differently
- The record does not meet the current rules. Our reading, not assessed: Murati's evasion about Sora's training data is part of a longstanding pattern of evasion at OpenAI.
- The two reviews read the claim differently