Musk files lawsuit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman
Elon Musk has initiated legal action against OpenAI, the entity behind ChatGPT, and its CEO Sam Altman, accusing them of straying from the organization's foundational goal of developing artificial intelligence to benefit humanity rather than for profit.
The lawsuit, lodged in San Francisco late Thursday, alleges that Altman and OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman initially engaged Musk with the promise of establishing an open-source, non-profit organization. Musk's legal team argues that OpenAI's shift towards profit, supported by Microsoft, violates this agreement, particularly criticizing the secrecy surrounding the development of GPT-4, OpenAI's latest AI model.
OpenAI, Microsoft, and Musk have yet to comment on the lawsuit. Musk, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015 and departed from its board in 2018, is also at the helm of Tesla and SpaceX and acquired Twitter in October 2022 for $44 billion. The lawsuit follows a tumultuous period for OpenAI, including the firing and subsequent reappointment of Altman by a reconstituted board, in defense of the company's humanitarian mission.
OpenAI plans to expand its board in March amid the rapid ascent of its ChatGPT chatbot, which has become the fastest-growing software application globally since its November 2022 debut. This innovation has prompted competition from major tech firms and startups alike, leveraging generative AI for various applications and igniting a technology race within the industry.
