Regulation
OpenAI Executive Jan Leike Resigns, Calls for Stronger AGI Safety Measures
Jan Leike, the head of alignment in OpenAI and the leader of ‘Superalignment’ team has left this company due to his worries about its priorities which he thinks are more focused on product development than AI safety.
Leike made a public announcement of his resignation on May 17, through a series of posts on the social media platform X, which was previously known as Twitter. He stated that the OpenAI leadership was wrong in their choice of core priorities and they should place more emphasis on safety and preparedness as AGI development is moving forward.
Jan Leike’s Safety Concerns and Internal Disagreements
Leike, who had been with OpenAI for about three years, pointed out in his posts that the culture and processes around AI safety were being neglected by the development of “shiny products”. He expressed concern over the allocation of resources, saying that his team needed help to get the necessary computing power to carry out important safety research.
Building smarter-than-human machines is an inherently dangerous endeavor.
OpenAI is shouldering an enormous responsibility on behalf of all of humanity.
— Jan Leike (@janleike) May 17, 2024
“The construction of machines that are smarter than humans is a risky task by itself,” Leike quoted, thus indicating the OpenAI’s responsibility for humanity.
His resignation came almost at the same time as Ilya Sutskever’s departure. Sutskever, the co-leader of the ‘Superalignment’ team and OpenAI’s chief scientist, had already announced his resignation a few days earlier. The departure of Sutskever was a noticeable since he co-founded OpenAI and participated in various research projects, including the development of ChatGPT.
Dissolution of the Superalignment Team
In view of the recent resignations, OpenAI has decided to disband the ‘Superalignment’ team and its functions will be merged with other research projects in the company. Bloomberg told that this decision is a result of the internal restructuring which has been going on since the governance crisis in November 2023 when CEO Sam Altman was temporarily removed and President Greg Brockman lost his chairmanship.
The ‘Superalignment’ team, created to deal with the existential risks that were brought by advanced AI systems and was responsible for developing solutions of controlling and steering superintelligent AI. Their work was considered as the most important in making preparations for the next generations of AI models.
Although the team was dissolved, OpenAI has promised that research on long-term AI risks will go on under the direction of John Schulman, who is leading also a team which develops how to fine-tune AI models after training.
OpenAI’s Current Trajectory and Prospects
Leike and Sutskever’s resignations, together with the disbanding of ‘Superalignment’ team, have been followed by a high-level scrutiny on AI safety and governance at OpenAI. This is the result of a long period of contemplation and disagreement, especially after Sam Altman was dismissed and then later rehired.
The departures and restructuring indicate that OpenAI may not be committed to the safety as it continues to develop and release advanced AI models. Lately, OpenAI has introduced a new “multimodal” AI model, GPT-4o, which can interact with humans more naturally and in an almost human-like way. Although this achievement proves OpenAI’s technological skills, it also reveals the ethical issues concerning privacy, emotional manipulation, and cybersecurity risks.
Though there is a lot of commotion, OpenAI still sticks to the main goal which is to create AGI safely and for the good of humanity. In a post on X, Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO admitted Leike’s work and stressed the company’s commitment to AI safety.
“I’m very grateful to @janleike for his great contributions to OpenAI’s alignment research and safety culture, and I am really sad that he is leaving. He’s right we have a lot more work to do; we are determined to do it. I will post my longer version in the next couple of days,” Altman wrote.
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Polymarket, a crypto-based prediction market, is likely to be prohibited by France’s gambling regulator, the ANJ, after a huge amount of bets were placed on the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Since the global audience engaged in prediction platforms, Polymarket experienced a record jump, with $450 million expected to be distributed to users following the victory of Donald Trump.
This increase of betting volume and large stakes has become a matter of concern for the French regulator because the platform offers unlicensed gambling services.
$450 Million in Payouts Expected After U.S. Election Bets
Prediction markets, which are expected to increase their payout to election bettors to around $450m following Donald Trump’s projected win, are attracting increasing attention.
Although conventional polls pointed to a closer contest, prediction markets such as Polymarket and Kalshi recorded a steep rise in Trump’s chances in the last few days, indicating a strong divergence with poll-based expectations.
Among the active users of Polymarket, a French trader called “Theo” made a $26 million bet on Trump’s win and won $49 million. This big bet made Polymarket popular, as the French authorities paid attention to the platform and its popularity among French residents, which led to concerns about the compliance of the platform with French gambling legislation.
France’s ANJ Considers Blocking Access to Polymarket
The ANJ has claimed that Polymarket is involved in gambling which is only allowed in France by licensed operators. According to local media, the regulator has the power to ban access to unlicensed gambling sites and is expected to restrict access to Polymarket soon.
An ANJ insider said: “Polymarket is just betting on something that is completely uncertain, which is exactly what gambling is.”
If put in place, the ban would prevent the usage of the application in France, despite the fact that users can still try to avoid the restriction by connecting to VPN. The ANJ could also try to influence media outlets and directories to stop advertising or linking to Polymarket and, thus, limit its audiences even more.
Regulatory Concerns Over Market Manipulation
The high level of activity on Polymarket has led to speculations that the platform may be used for market manipulation. Two blockchain analysis firms, Chaos Labs and Inca Digital, recently revealed that there was potential wash trading within Polymarket’s U.S. presidential betting market where the same assets are bought and sold to simply create a fake market. This type of trading is rather manipulative and can lead to the distortion of signals on the market and mislead other participants.
The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission also has concerns about prediction markets and put forward a rule in May aiming at stricter regulation of such markets due to the potential for manipulation.
Although no final decision has been reached, regulatory actions could impact Polymarket’s ability to operate freely in other markets, including the U.S.
Kelvin Munene Murithi
Kelvin is a distinguished writer with expertise in crypto and finance, holding a Bachelor’s degree in Actuarial Science. Known for his incisive analysis and insightful content, he possesses a strong command of English and excels in conducting thorough research and delivering timely cryptocurrency market updates.
Disclaimer: The presented content may include the personal opinion of the author and is subject to market condition. Do your market research before investing in cryptocurrencies. The author or the publication does not hold any responsibility for your personal financial loss.
FTX co-founder Gary Wang has requested a federal judge not to send him to prison. He noted that he is testifying against the former business partner, Sam Bankman-Fried, someone he has known for a long time in a fraud case.
The lawyer for Wang submitted a sentencing memo in Manhattan federal court wherein he claimed that his client should not be incarcerated as he provided assistance to the prosecutors as well as his role in the scheme was comparatively less.
Wang, who pleaded guilty to fraud and conspiracy when FTX went bankrupt in 2022, is to receive his sentencing on the 20th of November.
FTX Co-Founder Gary Wang Appeals for No Jail Time
The defense counsel for FTX co-founder Gary Wang highlighted his client’s early cooperation with the federal prosecutors as one of the key reasons why the court should consider him for mercy. According to Graff, Wang was one of the first FTX executives to meet with the authorities and share information on the FTX and Alameda Research. Wang gave a testimony in the trial that led to the recent conviction of Bankman-Fried who was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Speaking at the trial, Wang described how he was ordered to change the code of FTX in order to enable Alameda Research to use the assets of the company’s clients, which is one of the key points of Bankman-Fried’s fraud.
FTX co-founder’s lawyer noted that his involvement in the fraud was less than some of the other former executives, including Caroline Ellison, former CEO of Alameda Research, and Nishad Singh, FTX’s former head of engineering. Wang, his lawyer said, did not start or operate the scheme and was not personally involved in the provision of false information to the investors.
“Gary was not involved in the scheme at its inception, was never provided with details of the scheme, and, in contrast to Bankman-Fried, Ellison and Singh, never engaged in any affirmative action of deception,” Graff wrote.
Sentencing Comparisons to Other Executives
Wang’s attorney argued that a prison sentence would create an “unwarranted sentencing disparity” with Nishad Singh, who avoided jail time after pleading guilty and cooperating with the government. Singh, who faced potential decades-long sentences, was ultimately sentenced to time served and three years of supervised release.
Ellison, another major cooperator, received a two-year prison sentence. FTX co-founder Gary Wang contended that Wang’s level of involvement was even lower than Singh’s, supporting a non-custodial sentence for Wang as well.
Graff also noted Wang’s personal circumstances, stating that Wang is expecting the birth of his first child shortly after his sentencing date. Wang’s attorney suggested that allowing him to remain with his family would align with the court’s treatment of other cooperators in the case.
“Gary wants nothing more than to be a good husband and father and to continue his work to facilitate FTX victims’ recovery,” Graff wrote.
Separately, the U.S. government is working to reclaim approximately $13.25 million in political donations made by FTX executives, including Bankman-Fried and Singh. Judge Lewis Kaplan however granted the government additional time to negotiate the return of these funds, extending discussions with the PACs until January 15, 2025.
Kelvin Munene Murithi
Kelvin is a distinguished writer with expertise in crypto and finance, holding a Bachelor’s degree in Actuarial Science. Known for his incisive analysis and insightful content, he possesses a strong command of English and excels in conducting thorough research and delivering timely cryptocurrency market updates.
Disclaimer: The presented content may include the personal opinion of the author and is subject to market condition. Do your market research before investing in cryptocurrencies. The author or the publication does not hold any responsibility for your personal financial loss.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed a motion seeking judgment in its case against cryptocurrency exchange Kraken, focusing on defenses such as “fair notice” and the “major questions doctrine.”
This move, led by SEC Chairman Gary Gensler’s team, aims to limit further discovery into the agency’s regulatory policies, particularly those affecting the crypto sector. The timing of the filing has drawn attention, as some in the industry view it as a strategic attempt to shield the SEC’s methods from closer examination.
US SEC Files Motion for Judgment Against Kraken
The SEC’s motion seeks to dismiss defenses put forward by Kraken that include the fair notice defense and the major questions doctrine. The fair notice defense argues that Kraken did not receive adequate regulatory guidance regarding its crypto-related activities.
Meanwhile, the major questions doctrine suggests that regulatory agencies, such as the SEC, should not make major policy decisions without clear direction from Congress.
Subsequently, the US SEC’s motion appears intended to prevent further discovery into its policies, which Kraken and other crypto advocates have criticized as inconsistent and unclear. A similar motion was filed in Ripple case, where the US SEC failed to secure a judgment. Michael O’Connor, an attorney representing Kraken expects a similar outcome in the Kraken case, though Kraken has indicated that it has additional defenses should this motion proceed.
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Kelvin Munene Murithi
Kelvin is a distinguished writer with expertise in crypto and finance, holding a Bachelor’s degree in Actuarial Science. Known for his incisive analysis and insightful content, he possesses a strong command of English and excels in conducting thorough research and delivering timely cryptocurrency market updates.
Disclaimer: The presented content may include the personal opinion of the author and is subject to market condition. Do your market research before investing in cryptocurrencies. The author or the publication does not hold any responsibility for your personal financial loss.
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