In a surprising move, Ilya Sutskever, co-founder of OpenAI, has announced his departure from the Microsoft-backed startup. Sutskever expressed his excitement for his upcoming project, one that holds personal significance for him, although he did not reveal any specific details about it at this time. This development comes after a period of leadership turmoil within OpenAI, which resulted in the ousting of co-founder and CEO Sam Altman in November.

The board of OpenAI claimed that Altman had not been transparent in his communications, leading to a complex situation. Allegedly, Sutskever was focused on ensuring the responsible use of artificial intelligence to protect humanity, while others, including Altman, were inclined to prioritize the advancement of new technologies. This disagreement led to several employees signing an open letter, indicating their intention to leave in response to the board's actions.

Although Altman eventually returned to the company, Sutskever, along with board members Helen Toner and Tasha McCauley, who voted for Altman's removal, departed. Adam D'Angelo, another board member who supported Altman, chose to remain. Altman expressed his sadness about Sutskever's departure, describing him as one of the greatest minds of their generation and praising his vision and brilliance.

Replacing Sutskever as chief scientist is Jakub Pachocki, who has been serving as OpenAI's research director since 2017. Additionally, OpenAI has announced the inclusion of new board members, including Bret Taylor, former co-CEO of Salesforce, and Larry Summers, former Treasury Secretary. Microsoft has also obtained a nonvoting board observer position.

In March, OpenAI concluded an internal investigation conducted by the U.S. law firm WilmerHale into the events leading up to Altman's removal, announcing Altman's return to the board and the addition of three new board members: Dr. Sue Desmond-Hellmann, Nicole Seligman, and Fidji Simo.

News of Sutskever's departure coincides with OpenAI's recent launch of a new AI model and desktop version of ChatGPT, their popular chatbot. The company's goal is to expand the use of this AI tool, making it accessible to all users, including those who access OpenAI's services for free. The updated model, GPT-4o, promises improved capabilities in text, video, and audio, and OpenAI plans to eventually introduce video chat functionality with ChatGPT.

This breaking news highlights the ongoing changes and challenges within OpenAI, as well as the company's commitment to advancing artificial intelligence technology while also considering its societal impact.