Open AI CEO Sam Altman, whose company is behind the popular ChatGPT bot, has refused to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to Israel this week, according to Hebrew media reports.
Update: An Open AI spokesperson denied the reports later Sunday, saying no meeting had been requested by Netanyahu.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, the Ynet news site and Channel 12 news said Netanyahu’s office tried to coordinate a meeting with Altman, but he rebuffed them in protest of the government’s judicial overhaul plans.
“There was never a meeting request from the PM,” a spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office said in response.
Altman, who is Jewish, is slated to meet with President Isaac Herzog, tour the local offices of Microsoft and participate in an event at Tel Aviv University while in Israel.
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