Tech mogul Elon Musk has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, alleging that the organization has strayed from its original non-profit and open-source mission. Musk, who helped found OpenAI in 2015, claims the company is now prioritizing profit over its intended goal of benefiting humanity.
The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco, accuses OpenAI of prioritizing “maximizing profits” for major investor Microsoft instead of adhering to its founding principles. Musk asserts that he agreed to establish OpenAI under the condition that it would focus on developing artificial general intelligence (AGI) for the betterment of humanity, rather than personal gain.
In a statement, Musk’s legal team stated, “This case is filed to compel OpenAI to adhere to the Founding Agreement and return to its mission to develop AGI for the benefit of humanity, not to personally benefit the individual Defendants and the largest technology company in the world.”
The legal action follows reports that US regulators are investigating OpenAI over potential investor deception, prompted by boardroom turmoil in November 2023. Altman’s sudden ousting and subsequent reinstatement raised questions about transparency and governance within the organization.
Microsoft’s deep involvement in the saga, including offers to absorb OpenAI staff, has drawn scrutiny. Musk’s lawyers argue that Microsoft’s increasing influence over OpenAI, particularly regarding its closed-source technology like GPT-4, serves the tech giant’s commercial interests rather than the public good.
The lawsuit also highlights Microsoft’s substantial financial backing of OpenAI, which expanded into a multi-billion-dollar partnership following the launch of ChatGPT, OpenAI’s chatbot.
Regulators in the UK, EU, and US are examining the Microsoft-OpenAI partnership, alongside allegations that OpenAI has kept crucial details about its AI models, including GPT-4, confidential for commercial reasons rather than safety concerns.
Elon Musk’s own AI venture, xAI, aims to “understand reality” and introduced Grok, a chatbot competitor to ChatGPT, in November 2023. Musk’s legal team seeks various outcomes from the lawsuit, including orders for OpenAI to disclose information about its AI developments to the public.
Microsoft has been called upon to comment on the matter, as the lawsuit intensifies scrutiny on the intersection of tech, profit motives, and societal impact within the AI industry.
