Sam Altman walks back his complaint about people owning computer memory

Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has walked back a comment that upset a lot of people. Last week he said it was bad for ordinary people to hold a share of the world's limited computer memory. After days of backlash, he now says he wants everyone to have as much memory as they like.

What he said, and what he said next

On the Cheeky Pint podcast, Altman said, "It's quite terrible to have everybody have a bunch of the world's limited supply of DRAM sitting in their own computer." DRAM is the common type of computer memory, often called RAM. He suggested owners use it only about 5% of the time.

Online reaction was angry, with memes and sharp replies. Altman briefly changed his X handle to "Ram Altman." On Tuesday he posted that he does want the world to have tons of memory, and that people should put as much as they want in their computers. He added that he has long argued for more memory production.

Why memory is such a sore spot

AI tools like ChatGPT need huge amounts of memory, both to build them and to run them for users. That has fueled a rapid rise in data centers, the large buildings full of computers that power AI. Those data centers are buying up memory that used to go into regular PCs and game consoles.

According to the CNET commentary, some data center companies are even stockpiling hardware they do not yet have the space or power to run. Many people blame that buying for the sharp rise in prices for computers and consoles. Critics also noted that one person's use of memory is tiny next to a data center's.

The local AI twist

Much of the AI on phones, computers and smart speakers already runs partly on the device itself. Harder tasks get sent to the cloud, meaning data centers. The CNET writer points to the free facial recognition on the newest Eufy camera as an example of AI that now runs entirely at home.

The more AI runs on your own devices, the fewer subscriptions you may need. Companies would also collect less data about you. The writer argues that this is why Altman's original comments may have been closer to the truth than his later ones. That is an opinion, not a confirmed fact.

What it means for buyers

• Laptops, phones and consoles may cost more while AI companies compete for the same memory chips.
• Altman's change of tone does not change how many chips are available.
• OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

What is not known

Nothing in the story shows when memory supply will catch up with demand, or when prices might ease. It is also unclear which of Altman's statements reflects his real view.