OpenAI is looking at a new contract with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, several media reports showed on Tuesday, after the ChatGPT maker announced a deal with the U.S. Defense Department.
The Wall Street Journal first reported comments from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman that the artificial intelligence startup was looking at a contract to deploy on all NATO classified networks. The WSJ also said that an OpenAI representative later clarified that Altman misspoke and the contract was for unclassified networks.
Reuters reported that the AI startup is considering a contract to deploy its AI technology on NATO’s unclassified networks.
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OpenAI had announced a deal last week that will deploy the company’s AI technology in the Pentagon’s classified network, after the defense department had a major falling out with rival Anthropic, which also saw the company designated as a “supply-chain risk” by Washington.
Anthropic’s removal was tied to the company’s refusal to allow its AI models to be used for domestic mass surveillance or to power fully autonomous lethal weapons.
The WSJ report showed Altman defending OpenAI’s deal with the Pentagon, with the CEO stating that while he didn’t regret signing the deal, he wished it had not been announced as quickly, telling staff it appeared “opportunistic.”
OpenAI– which is backed by several tech majors, including Microsoft, Nvidia, and Softbank– faced widespread backlash over its Pentagon deal. Uninstalls of the company’s flagship ChatGPT mobile app surging 295% day-over-day on Saturday, according to data from Sensor Tower.
Anthropic’s Claude was also seen overtaking ChatGPT as the top app on Apple’s App Store.
