Sources say efforts to reinstate Sam Altman as chief executive officer of OpenAI are hitting a snag. Altman was ousted in a shock move on Friday, but a group of staff and investors have since been pushing for his return.

San Francisco

The release of Open AI's ChatGPT has accelerated the development of artificial intelligence and warnings about its impact on society.

Rise of AI

Ousted OpenAI boss Sam Altman ‘in talks' to return

It's a very fluid and fast-moving situation. Do we have a possible deadline for resolution at this point? Yeah, well, Sherry, a number of deadlines have been set over the course of the weekend, but the next one that's the sort of line in the sand that we're hearing from sources is that Sam Altman and his supporters have set a deadline of 5 p.m. San Francisco time, so just in another couple of hours from now, but essentially saying that the board would need to accede to his demands and by that point in order to bring him back as CEO, but as I said, it has been a number of these sort of deadlines that have been set over the course of this weekend, so perhaps it could be a bit of a moving target more like. But yes, the resolution, it could come quickly if it does come at all, but essentially what we know is that from social media at least, Sam Altman has been at the OpenAI office just in the last couple of hours, and we do know as well that there's a lot of people that really do want to see him reinstated at the company, so this comes from people inside OpenAI, for instance, Miro Murati, who's now interim CEO. OpenAI's chief strategy officer, it's COO. That's a lot of people at the C-suite level that want to see him reinstated, but you've also got investors as well, and chief among them of course is Microsoft. It has been the biggest backer of OpenAI to date, and we understand that Microsoft's CEO, Satya Nadella, is the one who's actually leading these negotiations that are going on behind the scenes to bring Sam Altman back and try to negotiate and reach a resolution between these different factions of the board. But what does appear to be at stake really is at that board level, because there's questions over the make-up and the sort of role that the board should take into the future. What are the major issues when you're taking a look at this at board level? Yeah, well, sort of zooming back and looking at it more in aggregate, the key issue for OpenAI, and for Sam Altman in particular, has really come down to the commercial aspect of artificial intelligence, and it's something that really has perhaps come up against questions around safety, education, and those sorts of factors as well. But Sam Altman, he has really drove or driven to turn AI, which did start as a start-up or a non-profit organisation, into more of a successful or more of a commercial business. And so there's been a lot of issues or points of difference at that board level between the pace and the scale at which they should be cranking out products, signing up customers. And so this push for commercialisation, it's really run headlong into questions over the safety of AI tools. And so that is really the key question here. So Sam Altman, we know he is open to returning, but he is said to be pushing for governance changes, and that could include removing existing board members. That's what we're hearing from sources. They're asking not to be identified, of course, because this is a very private negotiation that's also really coming along quite quickly. I guess it will depend on how these negotiations go, but given what we've seen so far, what can we expect from Sam Altman that, as you said, may be open to returning, but with some preconditions attached? Yeah, that's right. So as I said, he could look to return. He may want to see changes at that board level, but it's also the role that he would take. Would he want to come back as CEO of OpenAI? Would he want to continue pushing along with other ventures, starting up a new business? We already know, for instance, there's been a lot of high-profile investors that have said that they will follow Sam wherever he goes next. Sam Altman has been looking to raise funds, as we understand from sources again, but looking to raise funds for a chip-making startup, and this one is supposed to be focused on AI chips. So we know at this point NVIDIA does really control the market for AI chips, around 80, even perhaps 90 percent of that market. Sam Altman, we understand, has been fundraising for a new venture that would be seen as a sort of competitor to NVIDIA if it were successful. Of course, nothing has been formed just yet. These talks are very much in the preliminary stages, but he has apparently been fundraising around the Middle East to try and raise some cash for this next endeavor. So, yes, the key question is what happens at this deadline, or so-called deadline that will come up in a couple of hours, 5 p.m. San Francisco time? Are we going to see the board really accepting his demands? And as well, we should note that he is looking for some sort of statement that would absolve him of any wrongdoing. That's, again, according to people that are familiar, Sherry, with the situation.

Traffic on three major French high-speed train lines remained disrupted after saboteurs paralysed much of the rail network ahead of the Olympic Games opening ceremony in Paris.

Paris

Paris Olympics

French high speed train services remain disrupted after sabotage

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu worked to mend ties with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as he neared the end of a contentious US visit that put on display the growing American divisions over support for the Israeli-Hamas war.

Palm Beach

U.S. Presidential Election

Israeli PM Netanyahu meets with Trump at Mar-a-Lago

Thousands of residents and tourists were forced to evacuated the tourist town of Jasper in Canada's western Alberta province. Officials said that the blaze prompted 25,000 people to flee as it roared into the near-deserted town of Jasper overnight. Assessments of damaged infrastructure was ongoing, but officials estimated about 30% of the town was damaged, with 358 structures destroyed.

Jasper

Thousands forced to evacuate as wildfire consumes Canadian town

The 2024 Paris Olympic Games are officially underway following a spectacular opening ceremony. The city was turned into a stage with an incredible display paying tribute to France's history and culture.

Paris shines in Olympics opening ceremony

A rainy outdoor ceremony marked the official launch of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The event featured performances from Lady Gaga and Céline Dion as athletes and other performers floated down the iconic Seine River.

Rain soaks Olympics Opening Ceremony

Officials have returned to Jasper, Canada for the first time since a devastating wildfire wiped out a third of the town's properties. The rebuilding process is expected to be slow, leaving residents and businesses unsure about what’s next.

Historic Canadian town 'wiped out' by wildfires

Taiwanese authorities are assessing the damage caused by Typhoon Gaemi. The coastguard has been rescuing boats stranded by the tropical storm. The official death toll has risen to eight, with more than 800 people injured.

Taipei

Cargo crew rescued from Typhoon Gaemi

Wildfires are raging from western Canada to California in the U.S. At least a dozen fires are burning across California, with the Park Fire growing to become one of the biggest wildfires ever recorded in California in just two days.

Chico

Uncontrolled fires burn across California

Typhoon Gaemi has made landfall in southeastern China prompting warnings of flash floods and waterlogging in areas still recovering from torrential rain several weeks ago. Authorities relocated more than 290-thousand people.

Tsim Sha Tsui

Climate Crisis

Thousands evacuated in China as Typhoon makes landfall

Mexican drug kingpin Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and a son of his former partner, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, were arrested on Thursday in El Paso, Texas, in a major coup for U.S. authorities that may also reshape the Mexican criminal landscape.

El Paso

Mexican drug lords arrested in El Paso

Former U.S. President Donald Trump said his relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had always been warm as the two leaders met on Friday (July 26), and the Israeli leader said he hoped progress was being made in talks on a Gaza ceasefire.

Netanyahu meets Trump, says working on cease-fire

A North Korean military intelligence operative has been indicted in a conspiracy to hack into American health care providers, NASA, U.S. military bases and international entities.

Kansas City

North Korean charged in U.S. cyberattacks

Arsonists lighting fires across France's high-speed rail network have disrupted the transport network just hours before the Olympic Opening Ceremony in Paris, however the attacks failed to stop the event from going ahead.

France rail network attacked before Olympics

Saboteurs struck France's TGV high-speed train network in a series of pre-dawn attacks that caused chaos on the country's busiest rail lines ahead of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, but two security sources said initial suspicions fell on hardline leftist militants or environmental activists.

Saboteurs attack French railways ahead of Olympic ceremony

Typhoon Gaemi pummeled towns on China's coastal Fujian province on Friday with heavy rains and strong winds as the most powerful storm to hit the country this year began its widely watched trek into the populous interior.

Fujian

Typhoon Gaemi lashes China after pounding Taiwan, Philippines

Presidential candidates in Venezuela have held their final campaign rallies ahead of the election on Sunday. Opposition leaders are asking voters to oust President Nicolas Maduro, who's seeking a third term. But Maduro has warned the country risks a "bloodbath" if the opposition wins.

Caracas

Final rallies held ahead of Venezuela presidential election

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris pressured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to help reach a Gaza ceasefire deal that would ease the suffering of Palestinian civilians, striking a tougher tone than President Joe Biden.

Washington

Israel-Gaza War

Harris strikes tougher tone on Gaza ceasefire deal

Dolphins swimming coach Mick Palfrey will remain in Paris for the Olympics, after being criticised for publicly backing South Korean swimmer Kim Woo-min. Swimmer Elijah Winnington has defended the coach saying he's a great guy and there's no hard feelings.

Swim coach spared axe over supporting Korean rival

On the eve of the opening ceremony for the Olympic Games, security in Paris is tight and athletes are navigating the risks. More than a million people have undergone screening to access the site of the Opening Ceremony.

Athletes navigate security risks at Paris 2024

Typhoon Gaemi has reached southeastern China after churning across the Taiwan Strait. The typhoon has prompted warnings of swelling rivers, flash floods, and waterlogging in cities and provinces that were hit by extreme rains several weeks ago.

Typhoon Gaemi hits China after pounding Taiwan, Philippines

The Olympic Games are set to officially open on Friday (July 25), with the French government pledging an "unprecedented" security operation to ensure the safety of the event. A force of 35,000 to 45,000 security personnel will be deployed, including 15,000 French military members and over 2,000 foreign police officers.

Major security operation in place to guard Paris Olympics

U.S. President Joe Biden pressed for a ceasefire to the 9-month-old war in Gaza in talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday (July 25), with Vice President Kamala Harris due to meet the Israeli leader later in the day.

Biden meets with Netanyahu, presses for ceasefire in Gaza

Counterterrorism officers are investigating after a man was allegedly found with chemical explosives and a knife at a Sydney shopping centre. Police moved in after shoppers heard a loud blast at Miranda Westfield.

Miranda

Man with knife and explosives arrested at Westfield

The Prime Minister is set to unveil a new Cabinet line-up after two senior members announced today they're retiring from politics. Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney and Brendan O'Connor will move to the backbench.

Canberra

Prime Minister set to reveal cabinet reshuffle

A limited curfew is still in place in Bangladesh after days of protests and a police crackdown. Some businesses and government offices are reopening, and partial internet service is being restored in some areas. Police have arrested more than 2,000 people. The United Nations has demanded an investigation of the Bangladeshi government's crackdown on student protesters.

Dhaka

UN demands investigation of Bangladesh's crackdown on protesters

President Joe Biden on Wednesday said abandoning his reelection campaign and endorsing his vice president, Kamala Harris, as the Democratic candidate was the best way to unite the country and save democracy, despite his ambition to win a second term.

Biden says he bowed out to unite nation, backs Harris to beat Trump

On the eve of the Olympics the city of Paris is getting ready to put on a show For the next two and a half weeks the competition will unfold in some of the capital's most iconic sites all prepped for the occasion, while thousands of miles away the French Polynesian island of Tahiti is also getting ready to host the surfing events.

From Paris to Polynesia, final Olympic preparations underway

Thousands of people gathered in North Carolina for Donald Trump's first rally since Joe Biden pulled out of the race. It’s a key battleground state for both sides and the Republican nominee wasted no time in going on the attack against his likely opponent in November, Kamala Harris.

North Carolina

Trump slams Harris as ‘radical’ in first rally since Biden’s exit

In a fiery speech to the U.S. Congress skipped by some top Democrats, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed critics of his country’s war against Hamas as ‘useful idiots’ for Iran, and said America and Israel must stand together.

Netanyahu blasts Gaza war critics, Iran in fiery speech to U.S. Congress

A passenger plane has crashed and caught fire shortly after taking off from Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, killing 18 people, aviation officials say. The pilot was the only survivor of the crash and was treated in hospital.

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Rise of AI