NEWS

Elon Musk sues OpenAI, chief executive Sam Altman alleging contract breach

By VARINDIA - 2024-05-09

Elon Musk is suing ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, arguing that they abandoned the startup's original mission to develop artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity and not for profit. The lawsuit filed in San Francisco is a culmination to the billionaire's long-simmering opposition to the startup he co-founded. Musk alleged a breach of contract, saying the startup established in 2015 is now focused on making money.

Musk went on to create his own artificial intelligence start-up, xAI, launched last July.

According to the lawsuit, Musk said OpenAI's three founders originally agreed to work on artificial general intelligence (AGI), a concept that machines could handle tasks like a human, but in a way that would "benefit humanity".

OpenAI would also work in opposition to Alphabet Inc's Google, which Musk believed was developing AGI for profit and would pose grave risks.

Instead, OpenAI "set the founding agreement aflame" in 2023 when it released its most powerful language model GPT-4 as essentially a Microsoft product, the lawsuit alleged.

Musk has sought a court ruling that would compel OpenAI to make its research and technology available to the public and prevent the startup from using its assets, including GPT-4, for financial gains of Microsoft or any individual.