Former X Policy Chief Joins Sam Altman's World Network Amid AI Identity Verification Challenges
6 Sources
6 Sources
[1]
X's former policy chief takes job with Elon Musk rival Sam Altman
Nick Pickles, the former head of global affairs at Elon Musk's social media platform X, is joining forces with one of Musk's rivals, his fellow OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman. Pickles, who resigned from X in September, told Reuters on Wednesday that he will serve as chief policy officer for Altman's Tools for Humanity, the company building the technology to support World Network, formerly known as Worldcoin. Pickles' old boss, Musk, and his new boss, Altman, founded ChatGPT creator OpenAI in 2015 but have since fallen out in a messy legal dispute. World Network, which has faced scrutiny over its data collection, is ramping up efforts to scan people's irises, using its "orb" devices, to create World ID. The ID will serve as a digital passport to prove, in the online realm, that its holder is an actual human being as opposed to an AI bot. Pickles told Reuters that AI is "on the cusp" of overtaking traditional online defenses to determine whether a user is a real person, such as Captcha puzzles. Once AI can blow through those barriers, trust on the Web will further disintegrate. "It's imminent," said Pickles. "Throughout my time at X and at Twitter, one of the consistent issues that kept coming up is, 'Is this a real account or a bot?'" He added: "I saw every day how this issue is going to be central to the future of online interaction." During his 10 years at X, formerly known as Twitter, Pickles served most recently as the company's top ambassador to heads of state across the globe. In that capacity, he worked closely with policymakers and regulators to shape regulatory proposals, negotiate compliance and represent the company in global forums. He received a promotion at X in July. One month later, billionaire Musk sued OpenAI and Altman for allegedly violating contract provisions that would have put the public good ahead of profits. Pickles declined to comment on the litigation. Pickles said he was optimistic about the new regulatory framework likely to be ushered in by the administration of President-elect Donald Trump. His priority, he said, is hiring a lobbyist in Washington.
[2]
X's Former Top Policy Chief Takes Job With Elon Musk Rival, Sam Altman
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nick Pickles, the former head of global affairs at Elon Musk's social media platform X, is joining forces with one of Musk's rivals, his fellow OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman. Pickles, who resigned from X in September, told Reuters on Wednesday that he will serve as chief policy officer for Altman's Tools for Humanity, the company building the technology to support World Network, formerly known as Worldcoin. Pickles' old boss, Musk, and his new boss, Altman, founded ChatGPT creator OpenAI together in 2015 but have since fallen out in a messy legal dispute. World Network, which has faced scrutiny over its data collection, is ramping up efforts to scan people's irises, using its "orb" devices, to create World ID. The ID will serve as a digital passport to prove, in the online realm, that its holder is an actual human being as opposed to an AI bot. Pickles told Reuters that AI is "on the cusp" of overtaking traditional online defenses to determine whether a user is a real person, such as Captcha puzzles. Once AI can blow through those barriers, trust on the Web will further disintegrate. "It's imminent," said Pickles. "Throughout my time at X and at Twitter, one of the consistent issues that kept coming up is, 'Is this a real account or a bot?'" He added: "I saw every day how this issue is going to be central to the future of online interaction." During his 10 years at X, formerly known as Twitter, Pickles served most recently as the company's top ambassador to heads of state across the globe. In that capacity, he worked closely with policymakers and regulators to shape regulatory proposals, negotiate compliance and represent the company in global forums. He received a promotion at X in July. One month later, billionaire Musk sued OpenAI and Altman for allegedly violating contract provisions that would have put the public good ahead of profits. Pickles declined to comment on the litigation. Pickles said he was optimistic about the new regulatory framework likely to be ushered in by the administration of President-elect Donald Trump. His first priority, he said, is hiring a lobbyist in Washington. (Reporting by Michelle Conlin in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
[3]
X's former top policy chief takes job with Elon Musk rival, Sam Altman
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nick Pickles, the former head of global affairs at Elon Musk's social media platform X, is joining forces with one of Musk's rivals, his fellow OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman. Pickles, who resigned from X in September, told Reuters on Wednesday that he will serve as chief policy officer for Altman's Tools for Humanity, the company building the technology to support World Network, formerly known as Worldcoin. Pickles' old boss, Musk, and his new boss, Altman, founded ChatGPT creator OpenAI together in 2015 but have since fallen out in a messy legal dispute. World Network, which has faced scrutiny over its data collection, is ramping up efforts to scan people's irises, using its "orb" devices, to create World ID. The ID will serve as a digital passport to prove, in the online realm, that its holder is an actual human being as opposed to an AI bot. Pickles told Reuters that AI is "on the cusp" of overtaking traditional online defenses to determine whether a user is a real person, such as Captcha puzzles. Once AI can blow through those barriers, trust on the Web will further disintegrate. "It's imminent," said Pickles. "Throughout my time at X and at Twitter, one of the consistent issues that kept coming up is, 'Is this a real account or a bot?'" He added: "I saw every day how this issue is going to be central to the future of online interaction." During his 10 years at X, formerly known as Twitter, Pickles served most recently as the company's top ambassador to heads of state across the globe. In that capacity, he worked closely with policymakers and regulators to shape regulatory proposals, negotiate compliance and represent the company in global forums. He received a promotion at X in July. One month later, billionaire Musk sued OpenAI and Altman for allegedly violating contract provisions that would have put the public good ahead of profits. Pickles declined to comment on the litigation. Pickles said he was optimistic about the new regulatory framework likely to be ushered in by the administration of President-elect Donald Trump. His first priority, he said, is hiring a lobbyist in Washington. (Reporting by Michelle Conlin in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
[4]
X's former top policy chief takes job with Elon Musk rival, Sam Altman
NEW YORK, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Nick Pickles, the former head of global affairs at Elon Musk's social media platform X, is joining forces with one of Musk's rivals, his fellow OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman. Pickles, who resigned from X in September, told Reuters on Wednesday that he will serve as chief policy officer for Altman's Tools for Humanity, the company building the technology to support World Network, formerly known as Worldcoin. Pickles' old boss, Musk, and his new boss, Altman, founded ChatGPT creator OpenAI together in 2015 but have since fallen out in a messy legal dispute. World Network, which has faced scrutiny over its data collection, is ramping up efforts to scan people's irises, using its "orb" devices, to create World ID. The ID will serve as a digital passport to prove, in the online realm, that its holder is an actual human being as opposed to an AI bot. Pickles told Reuters that AI is "on the cusp" of overtaking traditional online defenses to determine whether a user is a real person, such as Captcha puzzles. Once AI can blow through those barriers, trust on the Web will further disintegrate. "It's imminent," said Pickles. "Throughout my time at X and at Twitter, one of the consistent issues that kept coming up is, 'Is this a real account or a bot?'" He added: "I saw every day how this issue is going to be central to the future of online interaction." During his 10 years at X, formerly known as Twitter, Pickles served most recently as the company's top ambassador to heads of state across the globe. In that capacity, he worked closely with policymakers and regulators to shape regulatory proposals, negotiate compliance and represent the company in global forums. He received a promotion at X in July. One month later, billionaire Musk sued OpenAI and Altman for allegedly violating contract provisions that would have put the public good ahead of profits. Pickles declined to comment on the litigation. Pickles said he was optimistic about the new regulatory framework likely to be ushered in by the administration of President-elect Donald Trump. His first priority, he said, is hiring a lobbyist in Washington. Reporting by Michelle Conlin in New York Editing by Matthew Lewis Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab Suggested Topics:Boards, Policy & RegulationBoards, Policy & Regulation Michelle Conlin Thomson Reuters Michelle Conlin is an award-winning journalist at Reuters, where she has covered Americans in debt, the 2016 presidential election, mortgage fraud, the foreclosure epidemic, pandemic evictions and national breaking news. Her reporting at Reuters has had wide-ranging impact, including contributing to new legislation addressing zombie homes, new rules banning banks' practice of gagging homeowners, and the end of governmental financing support of bonds backed by Wall Street's foray into single-family homes.
[5]
X's former top policy chief takes job with Elon Musk's rival, Sam Altman
Elon Musk escalates Sam Altman legal feud, casting OpenAI as monopolistNick Pickles, the former head of global affairs at Elon Musk's social media platform X, is joining forces with one of Musk's rivals, his fellow OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman. Pickles, who resigned from X in September, told Reuters on Wednesday that he will serve as chief policy officer for Altman's Tools for Humanity, the company building the technology to support World Network, formerly known as Worldcoin. Pickles' old boss, Musk, and his new boss, Altman, founded ChatGPT creator OpenAI together in 2015 but have since fallen out in a messy legal dispute. World Network, which has faced scrutiny over its data collection, is ramping up efforts to scan people's irises, using its "orb" devices, to create World ID. The ID will serve as a digital passport to prove, in the online realm, that its holder is an actual human being as opposed to an AI bot. Pickles told Reuters that AI is "on the cusp" of overtaking traditional online defenses to determine whether a user is a real person, such as Captcha puzzles. Once AI can blow through those barriers, trust on the Web will further disintegrate. "It's imminent," said Pickles. "Throughout my time at X and at Twitter, one of the consistent issues that kept coming up is, 'Is this a real account or a bot?'" He added: "I saw every day how this issue is going to be central to the future of online interaction." During his 10 years at X, formerly known as Twitter, Pickles served most recently as the company's top ambassador to heads of state across the globe. In that capacity, he worked closely with policymakers and regulators to shape regulatory proposals, negotiate compliance and represent the company in global forums. He received a promotion at X in July. One month later, billionaire Musk sued OpenAI and Altman for allegedly violating contract provisions that would have put the public good ahead of profits. Pickles declined to comment on the litigation. Pickles said he was optimistic about the new regulatory framework likely to be ushered in by the administration of President-elect Donald Trump. His first priority, he said, is hiring a lobbyist in Washington.
[6]
Former X Policy Chief Goes to Work for Sam Altman
The ID will serve as a digital passport to prove, in the online realm, that its holder is an actual human being as opposed to an AI bot. Pickles told Reuters that AI is "on the cusp" of overtaking traditional online defenses to determine whether a user is a real person, such as Captcha puzzles. Once AI can blow through those barriers, trust on the Web will further disintegrate. "It's imminent," said Pickles. "Throughout my time at X and at Twitter, one of the consistent issues that kept coming up is, 'Is this a real account or a bot?'" He added: "I saw every day how this issue is going to be central to the future of online interaction." During his 10 years at X, formerly known as Twitter, Pickles served most recently as the company's top ambassador to heads of state across the globe. In that capacity, he worked closely with policymakers and regulators to shape regulatory proposals, negotiate compliance and represent the company in global forums.
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Nick Pickles, former head of global affairs at X, joins Sam Altman's Tools for Humanity as chief policy officer, focusing on AI-based identity verification and human-bot distinction in the digital realm.
Former X Executive Joins Sam Altman's World Network
Nick Pickles, the former head of global affairs at Elon Musk's social media platform X, has taken on a new role as chief policy officer at Tools for Humanity, the company behind World Network (formerly Worldcoin) 1. This move marks a significant shift in the AI and tech policy landscape, as Pickles transitions from working under Musk to collaborating with Sam Altman, Musk's former OpenAI co-founder and now rival 2.
World Network and AI-Based Identity Verification
World Network, which has faced scrutiny over its data collection practices, is intensifying efforts to create a digital identity system called World ID 3. The system uses "orb" devices to scan people's irises, aiming to provide a digital passport that proves a user is a human rather than an AI bot. Pickles emphasized the urgency of this technology, stating that AI is "on the cusp" of overcoming traditional online verification methods like Captcha puzzles 4.
AI's Impact on Online Trust and Interaction
Pickles highlighted the imminent challenge of distinguishing between real accounts and bots, drawing from his decade-long experience at X (formerly Twitter). He noted, "Throughout my time at X and at Twitter, one of the consistent issues that kept coming up is, 'Is this a real account or a bot?'" 5. This issue, he believes, will be central to the future of online interactions and trust on the web.
Background and Future Plans
During his tenure at X, Pickles served as the company's top ambassador to global heads of state, shaping regulatory proposals and representing the platform in international forums. His move to Tools for Humanity comes amidst ongoing legal disputes between Musk and OpenAI, including Altman. Pickles, however, declined to comment on this litigation 1.
Looking ahead, Pickles expressed optimism about potential new regulatory frameworks and identified hiring a Washington lobbyist as his first priority in his new role 2. This move signals Tools for Humanity's intent to engage proactively with policymakers as AI-based identity verification technologies continue to evolve and raise important questions about privacy, security, and digital identity.
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