Key Points:
- Elon Musk has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging a departure from the original mission to develop AI for the benefit of humanity.
- Musk’s team contends that OpenAI’s current operations violate the agreement made in 2015, seeking to compel it to return to its founding mission.
- OpenAI, founded as a non-profit, is accused of refining AGI to maximize profits for Microsoft, contrary to its commitment to benefit humanity.
- Elon Musk stepped down from OpenAI’s board in 2018, expressing concerns about the potential dangers associated with artificial intelligence.
Elon Musk has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, among others, accusing them of deviating from the company’s original mission to develop artificial intelligence (AI) “for the benefit of humanity broadly.” The lawsuit, filed in a San Francisco court on Thursday, alleges that OpenAI has transformed into a closed-source subsidiary of Microsoft, aiming to maximize profits rather than prioritize the original mission.
According to Musk’s legal team, in 2015, Altman and OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman approached Musk with a proposal to establish a non-profit laboratory focused on developing artificial general intelligence (AGI) for the broader benefit of humanity. Musk agreed to participate in this venture, understanding that OpenAI’s mission would align with these principles.
The lawsuit emphasizes that OpenAI’s current operations, which prioritize maximizing profits for Microsoft, violate the initial agreement with Musk. Despite OpenAI’s public commitment to ensuring AGI benefits all of humanity, the legal filing alleges that the organization has shifted its focus away from this goal.
The lawsuit contends that OpenAI, under its new board, is not merely developing AGI but refining it to enhance profits for Microsoft, diverging significantly from its founding mission. Musk’s legal team seeks to compel OpenAI to adhere to the original Founding Agreement and return to its mission of developing AGI for the benefit of humanity.
Elon Musk, a co-founder of OpenAI in 2015, stepped down from the company’s board in 2018, expressing concerns about the potential dangers of AI, stating that it could be “potentially more dangerous than nukes.” OpenAI and Microsoft were not immediately available to provide an official response to the lawsuit.
