OpenAI’s Chief Technology Officer, Mira Murati, didn’t mince words when discussing possible job losses in creative industries, as AI continues to become more prevalent in the creation of art. During an AI event held at Dartmouth University, Murai said, “some creative jobs maybe will go away, but maybe they shouldn’t have been there in the first place.”
That statement didn’t sit well with the individuals who make their living as creatives, and the backlash has been fierce. Many pointed out the fact that OpenAI’s models are trained using art that has been made by the people she appears to be dismissing. Moreover, there was also a defense of the various roles people occupy working in the industry.
It’s somewhat quizzical that someone as high up in the OpenAI organization as Murati can make this type of misstep. It should have been obvious this was going to be seen as an incendiary comment, and Murati should have done a better job explaining what jobs she was referring to and why they deserve to be phased out and be replaced by AI. More context would have gone a long way in making her comments informative instead of combative.
For example, she did a much better job while attending the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity during the same week, as she spoke about the role of AI in creative work. There she stated that she sees AI as being assistive to people making art, a form of collaboration. It would simply be another tool available for artists to enable their visions and share them with audiences.
This likely won’t be the last time OpenAI draws the ire of a community possibly facing large job losses because of AI, and the company needs to do better about how it communicates the potential changes its products will bring to various industries.
