OpenAI's vice president of product policy, Ryan Beiermeister, was reportedly fired in January following a sex discrimination claim, while xAI, Elon Musk's AI venture, saw two co-founders depart this week, adding to a pattern of departures. Meanwhile, Amazon is considering launching a marketplace for media sites to license content to AI companies, and Czech ice dancers used AI-generated music at the Olympics. Additionally, VC Masha Bucher addressed reports regarding her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Beiermeister's termination from OpenAI came after she expressed criticism of a planned ChatGPT feature dubbed "adult mode," which would introduce erotica into the chatbot user experience. Beiermeister told the Journal, "The allegation that I discriminated against anyone is absolutely false." TechCrunch reached out to OpenAI and Beiermeister for comment, but neither had responded at the time of publication.
At xAI, co-founder Yuhuai (Tony) Wu announced his departure on Monday, stating on X, "Its time for my next chapter." The following day, co-founder Jimmy Ba also announced his exit, posting a note of gratitude to Elon Musk. These departures are part of a trend, as six members of the company's 12-person founding team have now left.
In the realm of AI data acquisition, Amazon is reportedly exploring a marketplace where publishers can license their content directly to AI companies. The Information reported that the e-commerce giant has been meeting with publishing executives to discuss the plans. An Amazon spokesperson did not directly address the potential marketplace when contacted by TechCrunch.
At the Winter Olympics, Czech ice dancers Kateřina Mrázková and Daniel Mrázek used AI-generated music in their rhythm dance program. During the performance, an NBC commentator noted that the music was AI-generated.
Finally, Masha Bucher, a Silicon Valley VC and founder of Day One Ventures, addressed reports documenting her close business and personal relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Bucher's name appeared over 1,600 times in the latest release of Epstein files, according to The San Francisco Standard. She wrote on X that Epstein "made me feel I could be safe from the regime," referring to her home country, Russia. She added, "I was naive; I didnt dig deep enough early on."
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