The head of artificial intelligence firm, OpenAI, Sam Altman, has been ousted by the company’s board, which said it had lost confidence in his ability to lead the company.
The board said Mr Altman had not been “consistently candid with his communications”, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities.
The maker of the ChatGPT bot, OpenAI is behind a wave of excitement about artificial intelligence. Mr Altman helped launch the firm.
The 38-year-old had also become a spokesman of sorts for the burgeoning industry, appearing before Congress this year to testify about new rules for artificial intelligence.
The announcement of his departure sent shockwaves through the sector. OpenAI president and co-founder Greg Brockman announced he had quit his role at the company following Mr Altman’s ousting.
OpenAI started in 2015 as a non-profit. Billionaire Elon Musk, who with Mr Altman was one of the founding co-chairs of OpenAI, has also criticised it for straying from its non-profit roots.