Changelog: Sam Altman swaps OpenAI for Microsoft
This week: AI drama, Royal Mail's costly security upgrade.
This week’s edition of Changelog is brought to you in association with Sophos.
Ctrl Alt Delete
Former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and members of his team have joined Microsoft following his shock departure from the AI lab on Friday. The news comes after a weekend of high drama behind the scenes at the ChatGPT developer, with former Twitch CEO Emmett Shear now set to take over from Altman.
Altman, OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman, and an unspecified number of former staff at the lab will now form a new advanced AI research division at Microsoft, CEO Satya Nadella announced on Monday.
The news could mean OpenAI takes a new direction, with its board reportedly keen to put more focus on the development of safe advanced general intelligence - AI so powerful it could remove the need for human involvement in many tasks - over commercial deals. Shear could face a difficult task juggling these two competing priorities when he takes up his new role.
AI news
Think you know ransomware?
A message from Sophos: Discover the gripping documentary that delves into the alarming realities of ransomware, revealing the far-reaching consequences that affect both business owners and society at large. Learn the history of cybercrime and ransomware as told by cybersecurity professionals, ransomware victims, and law enforcement officials. Watch Think you Know Ransomware? today - all episodes streaming now.
Special delivery
Royal Mail has spent £10m repairing and strengthening its cyber defences after being breached by ransomware group LockBit earlier this year.
The attack also hit Royal Mail’s international revenue, with its overseas delivery service having been out of action for several weeks following the breach.
The impact of the January attack was revealed in interim financial results published by Royal Mail’s parent company IDS on Friday.
Cybersecurity news
Growing footprints
‘Growing Footprints’ is a new whitepaper from Tech Monitor, produced in partnership with Khazna Data Centers.
It investigates how fast expanding digital requirements are impacting the data centre selection process. Tech Monitor surveyed over 200 key decision makers from an array of industries, finding that a number of requirements, including increased flexibility and resilience, greater levels of innovation and environmental performance are fast creeping up the agenda as enterprises continue to increase their IT footprints at pace.
Click here to download the whitepaper and find out more.
Now and Glen
John Glen is the latest minister to take charge of the Cabinet Office, where he will have responsibility for the government’s digital teams. Glen succeeded the resigning Jeremy Quin last week.
Previously chief secretary to the Treasury, Glen took up his new role as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak held a wide-ranging reshuffle of his government.
His arrival means there have now been 15 different ministers with responsibility for the government’s digital agenda in the past decade, with the role passing between Cabinet Office ministers and junior MPs in the department. The political turmoil in 2022, which saw the prime minister’s job pass from Boris Johnson to Liz Truss to Sunak, meant there were six different people on the job during the year, including three in October alone.
Partner Content
The security challenges of digitalising the energy grid - Tech Monitor
Achieving the right balance with hybrid cloud - Tech Monitor
How do we restore trust in the public sector? - The New Statesman
Brands must seek digital fashion solutions - Tech Monitor
The new to direct capital deployment to decarbonise household electrification - Capital Monitor