OpenAI Responds to Elon Musk Lawsuit

  Midjourney

OpenAI, the influential artificial intelligence research lab, publicly responded to a lawsuit filed by Elon Musk last week. The lab claims that before Musk left the organization in early 2018, he attempted to transform the nonprofit into a for-profit operation.

The comments, made in a blog post, are part of an escalating feud between Musk and OpenAI. The company stated its intention to dismiss all claims in Musk’s lawsuit.

Lawsuit Accusations

Musk accused OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, of breaching a contract by prioritizing profits and commercial interests over developing AI for public benefit. The lawsuit claims that the lab abandoned its founding pledge to carefully develop AI and share it freely with the public after entering a multi-billion-dollar partnership with Microsoft.

OpenAI’s Rebuttal

OpenAI stated that Musk, who co-founded the lab in 2015, was among the leaders who realized in early 2017 that the lab could not raise the necessary funds to achieve its goal of building artificial general intelligence (AGI) as a nonprofit. According to the blog post, Musk suggested OpenAI transition into a for-profit company, aiming to hold a majority of the company’s equity, initial board control, and the CEO position. The other founders rejected this proposal, believing that giving one person absolute control contradicted the organization’s mission.

Musk’s Proposal for OpenAI-Tesla Merger

In the midst of these discussions, Musk proposed that OpenAI merge with his electric car company, Tesla. However, OpenAI’s blog post also included an email from Musk that appears to acknowledge the necessity to withhold technology as the company nears the creation of AGI, to prevent potential harm.