AI researchers quit amid fierce competition in Silicon Valley

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- More than a dozen senior artificial intelligence (AI) researchers have resigned from major U.S. tech firms in Silicon Valley in recent weeks amid commercialization and funding races.

At OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, several high-profile departures have drawn attention. Researcher Zoe Hitzig resigned over the company's plan to introduce advertising on ChatGPT, outlining her views in a media column. The move came as OpenAI explores new revenue models to monetize its widely used chatbot.

The company also disbanded its Mission Alignment team 16 months after its establishment. Meanwhile, Jerry Tworek, a key developer of OpenAI's advanced reasoning models, left in January to pursue research outside the company. His departure followed CEO Sam Altman's strategic shift to prioritize ChatGPT and core products for intensified competition from rivals.

OpenAI is reportedly in talks to raise 100 billion U.S. dollars, highlighting strong investor interest as the company expands commercialization efforts. It has also secured U.S. military contracts and recently announced that ChatGPT has become available to millions of military personnel.

Other Silicon Valley firms are experiencing similar changes. At Elon Musk's xAI, multiple co-founders and engineers have resigned amid organizational restructuring as the startup pushes to scale and compete in the fast-moving AI market.

Anthropic, another major AI startup, has also seen senior staff departures despite completing a 30-billion-dollar funding round that valued the company at 380 billion dollars. Enditem