A seven-year-old feud between technology leaders Elon Musk and Sam Altman has reached a federal judge over who should run OpenAI and prevent a “dictatorship” of artificial intelligence, with Musk now It seeks to halt the ongoing transformation of ChatGPT makers into commercial enterprises. company.
Musk, an early investor and director of OpenAI, sued the artificial intelligence company earlier this year, accusing it of betraying its founding purpose as a nonprofit research institute that benefits the public interest rather than pursues profit.
Since then, Musk has escalated the dispute, adding new claims and seeking a court order halting OpenAI’s plans to transform it more fully into a commercial enterprise.
The world’s richest man, who owns companies such as Tesla, SpaceX and social media platform X, founded his own rival AI company, xAI, last year. Musk said he faces unfair competition from OpenAI and its close business partner Microsoft, which has provided the vast computing resources needed to build AI systems such as ChatGPT.
“It would go too far for OpenAI and Microsoft to work together to misuse Mr. Musk’s donations and build a for-profit monopoly specifically targeting xAI,” Musk’s filing said, adding that the two companies are going to charity. The lawsuit alleges that the terms of Musk’s basic donation have been violated.
OpenAI filed a response on Friday objecting to Musk’s requested order, saying it “undermines OpenAI’s business” and undermines the mission that benefits Musk and his AI companies, and that it is “far-fetched.” It is based on “legal claims”. A hearing is scheduled for January before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California.
The controversy centers on a 2017 internal power struggle at the fledgling startup that led to Altman becoming CEO of OpenAI.
Musk is also seeking to become CEO, and in an email he outlined plans to “take clear initial control of the company,” but said that would be temporary. OpenAI’s other two co-founders said they would be overvalued as major shareholders and CEOs if the startup achieved its goal of achieving better-than-human AI, known as artificial general intelligence (AGI). He became dissatisfied with the president after he said that he would be able to take on even more power. Musk has long expressed concerns about how advanced AI threatens humanity.
“The current structure provides a pathway to what will ultimately be unilateral and absolute control over AGI,” co-founders Ilya Sutskever and Greg Brockman wrote to Musk. The 2017 email read: Final AGI, but during this negotiation you showed us that absolute control is very important to you. ”
In the same email, titled “Honest Thoughts,” Sutskever and Brockman also expressed concerns about Altman’s desire to become CEO and whether he was motivated by “political goals.” expressed. Mr. Altman ultimately succeeded in becoming CEO, except for a brief period last year when he was fired and then reinstated days later after being replaced by the board that had ousted him. , and then became CEO.
OpenAI published a message in a blog post on Friday, showing its side of the company, specifically the idea that Musk could turn OpenAI into a for-profit business that would allow him to raise funds for the hardware and computing power needed for AI. The aim was to show that the company had supported the project from the beginning.
Musk first registered a public interest corporation, Open Artificial Intelligence Technologies, Inc., in September 2017 through Jared Birchall, Musk’s asset manager. Then, Musk received an “honest review” email that he described as “the final straw.” ”
“Either do something yourself or continue with OpenAI as a nonprofit,” Musk replied. OpenAI said Musk then proposed merging the startup with Tesla before stepping down as co-chairman of the OpenAI board in early 2018.
Musk did not respond to an email request for comment from his company on Friday.
Asked about the souring relationship with Musk at a New York Times conference last week, Altman said he felt “very sad,” but characterized Musk’s legal battle as being about a business rivalry. I attached it.
“He’s a competitor and we’re doing well,” Altman said. He also said at the press conference that he was “not really worried” about Tesla CEO’s influence over President-elect Donald Trump. OpenAI announced Friday that Altman plans to make a $1 million personal donation to President Trump’s inaugural fund, joining a number of technology companies and executives seeking to improve relations with the incoming administration. .
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The Associated Press and OpenAI have a license and technology agreement that gives OpenAI access to some of the AP’s text archives.
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This article has been updated to correct company name registered in 2017. Open Artificial Intelligence Technologies, Inc., not Open Artificial Technologies Technologies, Inc.
