According to reports, OpenAI internally discussed a highly controversial "crazy" strategy: using the arms race mentality between major powers, by creating international geopolitical tensions, to induce governments to fund it in order to "not fall behind."

Core Concept: Artificially Creating a "Prisoner's Dilemma"

The report revealed that when the company's former policy advisor tried to submit a proposal to "prevent the global AI race," CEO Greg Brockman proposed an opposite approach:

  • Fear Marketing: Using breakthroughs in technology to create fear on the international stage, putting major countries in a state of geopolitical anxiety.

  • Unsafe Choice: The current head of policy at Anthropic, Jack Clark, described it as a "prisoner's dilemma"—by manipulating market conditions, making governments believe that "not funding OpenAI" would be an unsafe choice, thus forcing them to pay.

Employee Reaction: From Shock to "Collective Resignation"

This radical plan caused a significant upheaval within the company:

  • Internal Backlash: A researcher recalled that at the time, he thought the plan was "completely crazy, totally insane."

  • Eventually Abandoned: Although the business plan was once welcomed by senior management, it was eventually abandoned due to threats of collective resignation from multiple employees.

Official Response: Accusations "Absurd and Laughable"

In response to the report, OpenAI strongly denied the allegations, calling them "absurd and laughable," and emphasized that the company had never taken such a plan seriously or implemented it.

Industry Context: The "Game of Thrones" in the AI Era

As GPT-6 is expected to be released on April 14th, the competition for computing power and funding has reached a boiling point. The revelation of such a "realpolitik" strategy at this moment has undoubtedly raised more scrutiny about the ethical boundaries of AI giants in their pursuit of AGI.

Conclusion: The Tightrope at the Peak of Technology