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Sam Altman: Anthropic uses 'fear' to market Claude Mythos

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has accused rival AI company Anthropic of utilizing fear-based marketing strategies to promote its latest model, Claude Mythos. Speaking on podcaster Ashlee Vance's Core Memory podcast, Altman criticized the company's approach of withholding the model from the public while selling a narrative of imminent danger to justify limited access. He compared Anthropic's tactics to claiming a bomb has been built, threatening its use, and then selling expensive shelters only to select customers. The comments highlight a growing rivalry between the two tech giants. Anthropic announced earlier this month that it would not publicly release Claude Mythos due to concerns that the model is too skilled at identifying cybersecurity vulnerabilities. Instead, the company launched Project Glasswing, granting access to the system to only eleven select organizations, including Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Nvidia, and JPMorgan Chase. Altman expressed skepticism about this strategy, suggesting it serves to keep AI under the control of a smaller group of people who claim to be the most trustworthy. While acknowledging that legitimate safety concerns exist, he argued that using fear as a primary justification is a marketing tactic rather than a genuine safety imperative. In contrast, Altman affirmed OpenAI's commitment to broader release policies. He stated that while some models may require restricted release, the company's goal is to err on the side of wider distribution to benefit as many people as possible. He emphasized that OpenAI aims to bring the world along on this technological journey with a clear focus on responsibility and global success. The tension between the two companies is further illustrated by Altman's comments regarding the attack on his home. He suggested that the prevailing culture of doomerism and the way certain labs, including Anthropic, discuss OpenAI and the future of artificial intelligence have contributed to a hostile environment. Altman noted that the rhetoric used by some competitors has not helped the situation, implicitly linking the aggressive safety warnings to the personal risks faced by industry leaders. This feud follows the departure of Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who left OpenAI to found one of its most significant competitors. Altman's public criticism is expected to intensify the already bitter competition between the two firms, particularly as they vie for dominance in the development of powerful AI systems. While Anthropic maintains that its cautious approach is necessary to prevent potential harm, OpenAI continues to champion a more open philosophy, believing that the benefits of advanced AI will be maximized through broader availability and collective progress. The debate reflects a broader industry struggle over how to balance innovation with safety in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence.

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Sam Altman: Anthropic uses 'fear' to market Claude Mythos | Trending Stories | HyperAI