OpenAI pledges that its models won’t censor viewpoints

In Brief

Possibly in response to political pressure, OpenAI is making clear that its AI models won’t shy away from sensitive topics while refraining from making assertions that might “shut out some viewpoints.”

In an updated version of its Model Spec, a collection of high-level rules that indirectly govern OpenAI’s models, OpenAI says that its models “must never attempt to steer the user in pursuit of an agenda of [their] own, either directly or indirectly.”

“OpenAI believes in intellectual freedom, which includes the freedom to have, hear, and discuss ideas,” the company writes in its new Model Spec. “The [model] should not avoid or censor topics in a way that, if repeated at scale, may shut out some viewpoints from public life.”

Many of President Donald Trump’s close allies, including Elon Musk and crypto and AI “czar” David Sacks, have accused AI-powered assistants of censoring conservative viewpoints. Sacks has singled out OpenAI’s ChatGPT in particular as “programmed to be woke” and untruthful about politically sensitive subjects.

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