The Fixer’s Dilemma: Chris Lehane And OpenAI’s Impossible Mission
Chris Lehane has built his career on solving impossible problems. From managing Al Gore’s press office during the Clinton years to steering Airbnb through global crises, he’s the guy you call when a company’s reputation is on the line. Now, in The fixer’s dilemma: Chris Lehane and OpenAI’s impossible mission, the seasoned strategist faces his toughest challenge yet — convincing the world that OpenAI truly cares about democratizing artificial intelligence.
Image Credits:Sarah Prince
A Veteran Spin Doctor Meets Silicon Valley’s Toughest PR Problem
Lehane joined OpenAI two years ago as VP of global policy, stepping into a storm. The company’s public image has shifted from idealistic innovator to another data-hungry tech giant. His task? Make the narrative believable again.
At the Elevate conference in Toronto this week, I had just 20 minutes with Lehane to cut through the talking points and explore OpenAI’s deeper contradictions. Lehane was polished, empathetic, even self-aware — but the disconnect between OpenAI’s words and actions remains hard to ignore.
The Real Challenge Behind The Fixer’s Dilemma
Even the most skilled communicator can’t spin away the ethical concerns. OpenAI has faced backlash over lawsuits, resource consumption, and controversial AI models. The fixer’s dilemma: Chris Lehane and OpenAI’s impossible mission becomes clear — how do you defend a company that claims to “benefit humanity” while behaving like the rest of Big Tech?
Lehane’s candor was striking. He spoke about sleepless nights, wondering whether AI’s evolution will truly serve people or simply consolidate power. But good intentions only go so far when your company is accused of overstepping legal and moral lines.
Sora And The Copyright Storm
OpenAI’s latest flashpoint is Sora, its AI video generation tool. The app exploded in popularity after launch, letting users create hyperrealistic videos featuring everything from themselves to famous characters and even deceased celebrities. But the excitement quickly turned into controversy.
Embedded copyrighted material in Sora’s dataset raised fresh questions about legality and ethics — especially as OpenAI is already facing lawsuits from major publishers, including The New York Times and The Toronto Star.
Lehane described Sora as a “general-purpose technology” akin to the printing press, capable of democratizing creativity. But what he avoided addressing was how OpenAI initially allowed creators to opt out of training data, only to later switch to an opt-in model when it became clear that copyrighted material boosted user engagement.
That isn’t innovation — it’s boundary testing. And so far, OpenAI seems to be getting away with it.
Fair Use Or Exploitation?
When I pressed Lehane about compensation for creators and publishers, he leaned on fair use — the long-standing U.S. legal principle meant to balance creator rights and public access. He called it the “secret weapon of U.S. tech dominance,” framing OpenAI’s practices as part of a grand innovation narrative.
Yet, that justification rings hollow to many in the creative industry. To them, The fixer’s dilemma: Chris Lehane and OpenAI’s impossible mission isn’t about messaging — it’s about accountability. If AI companies continue to profit from unlicensed work, how long before creators push back hard enough to change the law?
Can OpenAI Still Claim The Moral High Ground?
Lehane’s charm and political finesse can only go so far. OpenAI’s actions — from resource-heavy data centers to questionable data practices — keep contradicting its mission of openness and equity. The company’s internal turmoil, lawsuits, and ethical challenges paint a picture of a tech empire struggling to live up to its ideals.
As The fixer’s dilemma: Chris Lehane and OpenAI’s impossible mission unfolds, it’s clear that OpenAI’s PR battle isn’t just about optics — it’s about trust. Lehane may be the best “fixer” in the business, but even he might find that AI’s moral gray zone can’t be polished away with words alone.
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