Elon Musk claims OpenAI broke its agreement to benefit humanity
Images: Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters | Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP
On Friday, Elon Musk filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its co-founders, alleging that the ChatGPT-maker broke its founding agreement to pursue AI research for the good of humanity instead of profit.
Some quick background⌠Muskâs ties with OpenAI go back to its founding in 2015, when he served alongside CEO Sam Altman as the first two board members of the nonprofit organization (which also oversees for-profit subsidiaries).
- In 2018, Musk left OpenAI after feeling the startup was straying from its goals, per the lawsuit â though at the time, the nonprofit publicly said he stepped down to avoid a conflict of interest with Tesla.
- The suit also notes that Musk invested ~$44 million in OpenAI between 2016 and 2020.
The arguments: Musk claims OpenAI breached its contractual agreement to make the nonprofitâs advanced technology âfreely availableâ to the public, and instead shifted to a for-profit model after partnering with Microsoft (which has invested ~$13 billion).
While OpenAI has yet to publicly comment on Muskâs suit, executives sent internal memos saying the nonprofit has tried to balance its founding agreement to benefit humanity with its obligation to generate the large amounts of cash required for AI research.
- Legal experts say Muskâs lawsuit faces an uphill battle in court, since OpenAIâs founding agreement allows the nonprofit to decide whether its technology is advanced enough to forgo commercialization in the best interests of humanity.
âđ¤ It marks Muskâs latest warning of the potential threat posed by AI. The billionaire, who has consistently described AI as the "most disruptive force in history," was among the hundreds of tech leaders who signed an open letter calling on researchers to pause the development of powerful AI systems for six months over ârisks to society.â
On the flip side, some critics argue Muskâs warnings may be aimed at giving his own AI ventures, including startup X.ai, a leg-up in the industry.
đ Flash poll: What are your thoughts on the idea that artificial intelligence represents an existential threat to humanity?
See a 360° view of what media pundits are saying â
Sprinkles in favor of AI as an existential threat
- Some commentators argue that computers are learning faster and faster each time anyone uses them, and that exponential growth in capabilities will open up the possibility that some day in the future AI could grow so large and advanced that it threatens humanity.
- Others contend that as we embrace the convenience and efficiency that AI brings, we must also grapple with its potential dangers, which are constantly being brought up by tech leaders and CEOs within the industry (who are realists, not alarmists).
- âIs AI a threat to humanity? Why there is reason to worryâ âGreg Moore, Arizona Republic
- âYes, AI poses an extinction risk to humanity. And not just for the obvious reasonsâ âGleb Tsipursky, San Francisco Chronicle
- âAI Is an Existential ThreatâJust Not the Way You Thinkâ âNir Eisikovits, The Conversation
Sprinkles against AI as an existential threat
- Some commentators argue that AI itself doesnât pose an existential risk to humanity, but AI leaders are shifting the debate to potential existential threats as a marketing strategy to generate interest in certain products, dictate the terms of regulation, and protect incumbents as they develop more products.
- Others contend that the existential threat to humanity posed by AI is overblown, and that the movement from industry leaders to consider this âthreatâ has a series of problems that threaten its veracity and authenticity.
- âAI Doesnât Pose an Existential Riskâbut Silicon Valley Doesâ âEdward Ongweso Jr., The Nation
- âWhat the Breathless AI âExtinctionâ Warning Gets Wrongâ âTyler Cowen, Bloomberg
- âOne Reason Why The Existential Threat Of AI May Be Overblownâ âJames Broughel, Forbes
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