To Serve Man(kind)
Illustration by Curt Doty with homage to the Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone Classic starring Michael Chambers (Lloyd Bochner) gets the surprise of a lifetime in "To Serve Man," when it's revealed that the seemingly friendly Kanamits (Richard Kiel) have far more sinister plans, literally to Eat Man! The bait and switch headline from this week served as a gut punch where Sam Altman revealed OpenAI is going all-in as a for-profit company. Their prior non-profit mission statement is/was this…
“OpenAI's core mission is centered around advancing artificial general intelligence (AGI) in a manner that benefits all of humanity. The organization is dedicated to ensuring that AGI's deployment aligns with the best interests of society, while avoiding uses that could harm humanity or concentrate power. By fostering a cooperative global community, OpenAI aims to create a positive impact on a wide range of AI applications, ultimately driving research and innovation that contributes to the greater good.”
When AI Companies Shift from “Serving Mankind” to “Serving Profits”
It’s not uncommon to see companies evolve, pivot, or refine their mission over time. In fact, it's expected. But when an AI company starts off with a grandiose, benevolent vision of “serving mankind” as a nonprofit, only to later shift gears and become a profit-driven entity, it raises a red flag or two. As someone who believes in the transformative power of AI for the greater good, it’s disheartening to see such changes.
This is where it gets tricky: When AI companies start out, they often promise the moon. They commit to grand missions like solving world hunger, making healthcare accessible for all, or even advancing education in underserved regions. There’s this sense of altruism—a deep-rooted belief that their technology will help solve the big problems humanity faces. And for a while, it’s convincing. You believe in their vision. You see them attracting top talent, building powerful models, and working hand-in-hand with the communities they vowed to serve.
But what happens when the tide shifts? One day, you wake up and the company that was once a nonprofit serving mankind is now a for-profit machine, with a mission that’s been "adjusted" to serve investors, profit margins, and stakeholders. The moral compass starts spinning. That original mission of serving mankind is quietly put on the back burner—replaced with the pursuit of shareholder value and monetization of the very solutions that were supposed to be for the greater good.
So, what does this mean for us, the consumers, the innovators, the creatives, and the advocates? Should we be surprised when companies shift to this model? Probably not. It’s easy to become cynical, to expect that the eventual goal of every startup is to profit at any cost. But what does it mean for the broader landscape of AI?
For me, it’s about trust. When an AI company begins with the mission to serve humanity but then shifts toward a profit-driven model, trust erodes. This isn't to say that making profits is inherently bad. Companies have to sustain themselves. But when you make a bold promise to solve humanity’s problems without focusing on your bottom line, and then you turn that promise into a sales pitch, we’ve got an ethical dilemma.
Related Article : OpenAI Co-Founder Raises $1B for AI Safety
Here’s where it gets personal for me. I’ve always been an advocate of harnessing AI to bring about positive, real-world change. But I’m also keenly aware that AI, like any other tool, can be manipulated, repurposed, or monetized. The question is, where do we draw the line? At what point does the mission become diluted to the point that the original purpose is unrecognizable?
Imagine a scenario where an AI company—initially dedicated to equitable access to healthcare—suddenly shifts to selling high-priced, proprietary software exclusively to the highest bidder. Or a company once focused on using AI to combat climate change deciding it’s more lucrative to sell its technology to oil and gas companies instead. It’s this shift that highlights the very real tension between doing good and doing well.
We need to be vocal about this. We need to hold these companies accountable, especially in the AI space, where the impact of these technologies on humanity is still unfolding. AI is not just another industry—it’s an existential force, shaping the future of work, society, and even our very existence. So, when the mission changes, we must ask ourselves: Are these AI companies still working for us, or are we just another data point on their balance sheet?
This change isn’t just a reflection of market forces or investor pressures. It’s a litmus test for how committed these companies are to their original purpose. If the shift from nonprofit to for-profit comes without transparency or real dialogue, it speaks volumes about what their true priorities were all along.
At the end of the day, AI should be a force for good. We have the power to shape it. But we can’t just stand by as companies pivot away from serving the collective to serving themselves. The world doesn’t need more tech monopolies with dollar signs in their eyes. What it needs is a genuine commitment to solving the problems that matter.
We deserve better. AI deserves better. And I, for one, am not ready to let these companies off the hook so easily.
Let’s keep pushing for an AI landscape that’s more than just profitable—it’s principled.
About the Author
Curt Doty specializes in branding, product development, social strategy, integrated marketing, and UXD. He has extensive experience on AI-driven platforms MidJourney, Adobe Firefly, ChatGPT, Murf.ai, and DALL-E. His legacy of entertainment branding: Electronic Arts, EA Sports, ProSieben, SAT.1, WBTV Latin America, Discovery Health, ABC, CBS, A&E, StarTV, Fox, Kabel 1, TV Guide Channel, and Prevue Channel.
He is a sought after public speaker having been featured at Streaming Media NYC, Digital Hollywood, Mobile Growth Association, Mobile Congress, App Growth Summit, Promax, CES, CTIA, NAB, NATPE, MMA Global, New Mexico Angels, Santa Fe Business Incubator, EntrepeneursRx and AI Impact. His AI consultancy RealmIQ helps companies manage the AI Revolution.
© 2024 Curt Doty Company LLC. All rights reserved. RealmIQ is a division of the Curt Doty Company. Reproduction, in whole or part, without permission of the publisher is prohibited. Publisher is not responsible for any AI errors or omissions.
