Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of OpenAI has been relieved of his position following a “deliberative review process” conducted by the company’s board, which found Altman “was not consistently candid in his communications with the board,” according to a statement issued by the company.

To fill the void left by Altman, Mira Murati, the current chief technology officer for the AI company, will step in as interim CEO.

The departure of Altman, who helped establish OpenAI as a non-profit research laboratory in 2015, marks a major controversy for the comapny valued at $80bn (£64bn) in October.

Altman, expressed his gratitude for his time at OpenAI in a post on X, stating: “I loved my time at OpenAI.

“It was transformative for me personally, and hopefully the world a little bit.

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“Most of all, I loved working with such talented people. (I) will have more to say about what’s next later.”

Altman had been a key figure in addressing global leaders on the risks and benefits of AI technology. He emphasised the importance of considering AI as a tool and not a creature, expressing genuine concerns about potential risks and loss of control in the future.

The backing of Silicon Valley leaders has been notable in support of Altman, including endorsements from former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Microsoft has a significant investment in OpenAI, incorporating its AI technology into Microsoft’s office applications.