It's "surprising" because it was an explicit part of OpenAI's charter to not allow their tech to be used by the military, but to anyone with half a brain I don't think it is ACTUALLY a surprise.

Why would they even write that into the charter when they immediately jettisoned it at the first opportunity?

To have their cake and eat it too: Many top minds have this pesky not wanting to be complicit in killing people thing... so say that you super promise not to work with the military can sometimes trick those people.

It's entirely unsurprising.

Decades from now we may wish we all raised up a bit more fuss about it, though.

It’s just inevitable. Decades from the events now, I’m really glad the US got the bomb before Hitler.

Hitler wasn't on track to 'get the bomb' before the end of the war.

So it wasn't an America or Germany situation, in fact nobody on the planet was close to 'getting the bomb' in 1942. Though not for lack of trying. The Manhattan project was a stupendous effort compared to anything else done to move science forward by brute force up to that that. And short of the space race nothing like it has been seen since until the current effort to bring AI into the world and in some ways it still pales in comparison.

There's a vocal HN demographic with the strong moral position that working on improving war machinery is very evil.

It's unlikely that any of them are Ukrainian.

It depends on what you would consider an improvement.

I don’t think it’s just a “vocal HN demographic” that thinks arms dealing is bad.

Relatively few people on HN have a total objection to arms dealing.

For example, not many people oppose the sale of F35s to Australia or Leopards to Norway.

"Please respond to the strongest plausible interpretation of what someone says, not a weaker one that's easier to criticize. Assume good faith."

That demographic lives in a very thick, very privileged bubble. On a long enough timeline, someone is going to try to kill you.

Define war machinery. Contributing to Ghidra would fall under the Pentagon.

https://github.com/NationalSecurityAgency/ghidra

ah, i see. a trOpenAIn horse.

Yes but most of you are just trying to retire early and will work for anyone.