A startup company with a simple shell of OpenAI may face a catastrophic situation.
Since yesterday evening, multiple users have received emails from OpenAI. The email stated, "Our data shows API traffic from regions that OpenAI currently does not support for your organization." The email further stated that starting from July 9th, OpenAI will begin blocking API traffic from non supported countries and regions. If affected organizations wish to continue using OpenAI services, they must access them within the countries or regions they support.
According to the reporter's inquiry, currently OpenAI's API is open to 161 countries and regions, but China is not included in it. This also means that OpenAI announced the termination of API services to China.
In terms of regulatory background, on June 22 this year, the US Treasury Department issued a draft rule requiring regulation of certain US investments in semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence, prohibiting or requiring restrictions on China's investment in AI and other technology fields. In response to this, the Ministry of Commerce stated that China has noticed the release of relevant documents by the United States. The US should respect the laws of market economy and the principle of fair competition, stop politicizing and weaponizing economic and trade issues, lift investment restrictions on China, and create a favorable environment for Sino US economic and trade cooperation.
OpenAI's move is considered the result of a comprehensive consideration of various factors such as legal compliance and data security. As an artificial intelligence company in the United States, OpenAI needs to comply with relevant national or regional laws and regulations. It is worth noting that on June 13th this year, OpenAI announced that retired US Army General Paul M. Nakasone would join the company's board of directors. OpenAI wrote in an article on its official website, "Mr. Nakasone's insights will help OpenAI better understand how to use artificial intelligence to enhance network security, quickly detect and respond to network security threats."
Public information shows that Nakasone is a top expert in cybersecurity, technological progress, and global network defense. During his career as an army officer, he played a crucial role in the establishment of the US Cyber Command. He is the longest serving leader of the US Cyber Command and has also led the National Security Agency, responsible for protecting the country's digital infrastructure and enhancing its cyber defense capabilities. He has served as a commander and staff officer in various levels of the US Army and has been deployed to elite cyber forces in the United States, South Korea, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Industry speculation suggests that OpenAI's termination of API services to countries such as China may be related to the newly appointed board member.
According to an industry insider analyzing with Securities Times reporters, OpenAI has not previously provided services within China and has not yet directly opened registration and usage to Chinese users. At present, there are two mainstream channels for using OpenAI, one is to connect with the API provided by OpenAI official; The second is to integrate with the OpenAI capabilities provided by Microsoft Azure. However, the industry insider also stated that previously in China, there was always a possibility of being banned at any time when using OpenAI capabilities in conjunction with the official API provided by OpenAI. "Developers who have personal interests can do this, but if companies do so, the risk will be higher."
"Many startup companies in China have been simply shelling out large models or AI applications by integrating OpenAI APIs. This time, they will be directly affected." The industry insider further analyzed that the termination of OpenAI's API services to China will bring a devastating blow to companies that hope to start businesses with the help of OpenAI's large models. If a group of companies without core technology and competitive strength fail to find alternative solutions in a timely manner, they will be eliminated from the market; On the other hand, this will also force Chinese large model companies to accelerate independent research and development, and encourage more start-up companies to choose domestic large models to avoid potential risks in the future.