Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, the San Francisco-based company behind ChatGPT, has joined the Giving Pledge, a group of wealthy philanthropists who have committed to donating more than half of their fortunes to charity.
The announcement comes after a turbulent six months for Altman, who Forbes says amassed much of his $1 billion fortune through investments.
In November, Altman was briefly removed from his position as CEO, only to be reinstated later, shocking the rapidly commercializing AI industry as internal conflicts threatened to sink one of the most sought-after voices in the field. Altman initially founded OpenAI as a nonprofit research lab dedicated to safely building AI for the benefit of humanity.
Now, Altman says he wants to focus his philanthropic giving on “technology that helps create abundance for people.” In a May 18 Giving Pledge letter, written alongside his husband and technology investor Oliver Mulherin, Altman expressed gratitude for the hard work and dedication of those who built the scaffolding of society that allowed them to get where they are today.
“There is nothing we can do except feel immense gratitude and commit to pay it forward, and do what we can to build the scaffolding up a little higher,” the letter stated.
The Giving Pledge was founded in 2010 by Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates, and Warren Buffett to foster a culture of philanthropy among the world’s wealthiest people to tackle urgent problems. More than 240 signatories from 30 countries have committed to giving the majority of their wealth to charity, although critics argue that there is little oversight to ensure that community members follow through on their vows.
Other recent additions to the Giving Pledge include Mercuria CEO Marco Dunand and entrepreneur Suzan Craig Dunand, who co-founded a Swiss foundation that seeks to accelerate the transition to net-zero carbon emissions; 94-year-old Robert D. Goldfarb, a retired value investor who plans to give 90% of his wealth during his lifetime; Investor Jahm Najafi and entrepreneur Cheryl Najafi, who have recently focused their giving on racial equity; and technology investment capital firm head Hemant Taneja and real estate developer Jessica Schantz Taneja.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.