The chief executive of the company that put generative artificial intelligence into public consciousness “was not consistently candid in his communications with the board,” OpenAI said in a statement, so Altman is out immediately. The board named Mira Murati, the company’s chief technology officer, the interim CEO. OpenAI chair and president Greg Brockman is also stepping down as chair of the board but will remain an executive under Murati, the statement said. (The Logic)

Talking point: OpenAI is one of the world’s most valuable startups, worth as much as US$90 billion. Its ChatGPT went public not even a year ago, sending corporate and consumer interest in generative AI skyward and leading to serious comparisons between Altman and nuclear pioneer J. Robert Oppenheimer. Altman fronted a presentation of new features and company plans last week. An investor, former president of Y Combinator and doomsday “prepper,” Altman said at the San Francisco Asia-Pacific summit just yesterday that he believes humanity is on a path to self-destruction but technology, including AI, can help save us.