” Never trust OpenAI or its products like ChatGPT and others. “This is the message from American whistleblower Edward Snowden who revealed ten years ago the existence of a mass surveillance system by the NSA (National Security Agency).
Exiled in Russia and having obtained Russian citizenship, the former CIA and NSA employee reacts to Paul M. Nakasone’s entry into the OpenAI Board of Directors. This cybersecurity and cyberdefense expert participated in the creation of the United States Cyber Command.
Retired United States Army General, Paul Nakasone was also the head of the NSA, which explains Edward Snowden’s knee-jerk reaction. ” There is only one reason to appoint an NSA director to your board. This is a deliberate and calculated betrayal of the rights of every person on Earth. “
Is the wolf in the fold?
Make ChatGPT a mass surveillance tool? If Edward Snowden implies this, it is more about the concerns he raises. OpenAI’s data collection for training its AI models is largely regulated.
Even before the arrival of Paul Nakasone, Edward Snowden had already criticized OpenAI, pointing out a lack of transparency in access to training data or models.
From a more global perspective, Edward Snowden writes that ” THE intersection of AI with the ocean of surveillance data that has accumulated over the past two decades will put truly terrible powers in the hands of a small number of unaccountable people. “
OpenAI thinks cybersecurity first
On the OpenAI side, the appointment of Paul Nakasone is presented as an opportunity to improve security, as well as to better understand how AI can be used to strengthen cybersecurity.
” We believe that AI has the potential to bring significant benefits in this area to many institutions frequently targeted by cyberattacks, such as hospitals, schools and financial institutions. “
Aside from Edward Snowden, countries are likely to raise eyebrows with a Paul Nakasone type profile on the OpenAI board. Even Apple could cringe – with Apple Intelligence – for the image it conveys.
