'Cancel ChatGPT': OpenAI's Pentagon deal sparks online outrage
OpenAI is facing major backlash online after announcing a deal to run its AI models on the Pentagon's classified network.
The phrase "Cancel ChatGPT" has appeared in Reddit posts and at least one X post, with many users upset about the company working with the Department of War—especially since this comes right after Anthropic was dropped from federal contracts for six months.
Users are upset about the potential for mass surveillance
A lot of users feel uneasy about OpenAI replacing Anthropic, especially because the Pentagon wants to use these AI tools for "all lawful purposes," while OpenAI says the DoD considers mass domestic surveillance illegal and the contract bars "unconstrained monitoring of US persons' private information" and forbids use to independently direct autonomous weapons in cases requiring human control.
Posts saying "You're now training a war machine. Let's see proof of cancelation" and memes mocking OpenAI's quick move have racked up thousands of upvotes.
Altman says there are strict controls in place
OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman says their contract specifically bans mass domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons, and that there are strict controls in place, like cloud-only deployment and oversight by staff.
He also mentioned they've asked for these same rules to apply to all labs, hoping to calm things down a bit.