OpenAI considered releasing a GPT-3-level local model in 2022 to deter competitors
Internal email from Sam Altman to OpenAI's board outlined plans for a consumer-hardware-capable model to preempt industry moves by Stability AI and others.
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- OpenAI discussed releasing a GPT-3-level language model capable of running on consumer hardware in 2022.
- The plan aimed to deter competitors like Stability AI from releasing similarly powerful models.
- The proposal was part of broader internal discussions on OpenAI's open-source strategy.
In an email to OpenAI's board dated October 1, 2022, then-CEO Sam Altman described plans to develop and release a language model with capabilities comparable to GPT-3 that could operate on consumer hardware. The stated goal was to release such a model before competitors like Stability AI could do so.
Altman framed the move as a deterrent to other organizations releasing similarly powerful models and suggested it would make it harder for new AI ventures to secure funding. The email was part of broader internal discussions about OpenAI's open-source strategy and was later exposed in court filings related to Musk v. Altman (2026).
The disclosure comes from a post by Simon Willison, who quoted the email in a July 20, 2026 entry on his weblog. Willison noted the email was part of litigation records and presented without additional commentary beyond sourcing the original text.
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