OpenAI's Chair Bret Taylor Dismisses Concerns About His AI Chatbot Startup Competing With ChatGPT-Parent: 'We Exist At A Different Layer'

Bret Taylor, the chairman of OpenAI, addressed concerns about potential competition between his new AI chatbot startup, Sierra, and the ChatGPT maker, assuring that the two entities operate at different levels.

What Happened: Taylor, who was previously the co-CEO at Salesforce, announced the launch of Sierra, a conversational AI agent developer for businesses. The startup, co-founded with former Google executive Clay Bavor, has secured $110 million in funding and currently employs 30 people, reported Bloomberg.

Taylor highlighted that Sierra and OpenAI are not in direct competition, stating, "I really don't think OpenAI and Sierra are competitive," adding, “We exist at a different layer of the stack. We're customers of OpenAI, in addition to a number of other foundation models.”

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He also said that his role at OpenAI is “more of a governance role, not an operational role.” Taylor assured that he would “simply recuse" himself if there was “ever an opportunity for conflict.”

Other OpenAI board members have also faced questions about conflicts of interest. 

LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman stepped down from the board last year due to potential conflicts, while Adam D'Angelo remained on the board despite his company, Quora, operating Poe, a platform that allows people to ask questions from various AI chatbots, the report noted. 

Why It Matters: OpenAI is currently going through a significant growth and development phase. 

The company’s CEO, Sam Altman, is reportedly in discussions with potential investors to secure trillions of dollars for a groundbreaking tech initiative, aiming to transform the global semiconductor industry and enhance the capacity for AI.

OpenAI’s revenues soared beyond $2 billion last year, largely driven by the success of its AI product, ChatGPT, which has captured the attention of both consumer and business sectors. 

Photo Courtesy: Shutterstock.com

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.