Elon Musk, a billionaire entrepreneur, has sued Open AI, a company he co-founded, and its CEO, Sam Altman, alleging that they have abandoned the start-up's original mission to develop artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity and not for profit. Musk claims that Open AI has shifted its focus to making money, particularly through its partnership with Microsoft, and has abandoned its commitment to open-source, non-profit AI research.
Musk's lawsuit alleges a breach of contract and seeks a court ruling that would compel Open AI to make its research and technology available to the public and prevent it from using its assets, including its powerful language model GPT-4, for financial gains. Musk also wants the court to rule that GPT-4 and a new technology called Q* are AGI and therefore outside of Microsoft's license to Open AI.
Open Ai's top executives have rejected Musk's claims, and the company has not responded to requests for comment. Musk did not respond to requests for comment about his exit from Open AI.
Musk has been a vocal advocate for AI regulation, and his lawsuit against Open AI is seen as a way for him to gain a slice of equity in a company he effectively founded but holds no stake in. Legal experts say that Musk's allegations of breach of contract may not hold up in court, as the lawsuit cites an email that appears to be a proposal and a "one-sided discussion."
Musk's rival AI effort, xAI, is made up of engineers hired from top U.S. technology firms and aims to create a "maximum truth-seeking AI." xAI started rolling out its ChatGPT competitor Grok for Premium+ subscribers of social media platform X in December.
Musk has also made waves about his interest in artificial intelligence via Tesla, stirring controversy with Tesla shareholders by saying he felt uncomfortable growing the carmaker into a leader in AI and robotics unless he had at least 25% voting control of the company. Musk, who ranks second on the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List, currently owns about 13% of Tesla.
The lawsuit comes as Open AI faces antitrust scrutiny in the U.S. and Britain following a boardroom battle that resulted in the sudden ouster and return of Altman and the creation of a new temporary board. Open AI plans to appoint new board members in March, and Microsoft has a non-voting observer seat.
Overall, the lawsuit highlights the ongoing debate over the ethical and societal implications of AI development and the need for responsible AI practices. It also underscores the growing competition in the AI race among Big Tech companies, as they adopt generative AI for a range of tasks.
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