Tesla boss, Elon Musk has kickstarted a legal tussle against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, alleging a breach of agreement. The billionaire argued that the tech organization is digressing from its open-source principles which are against its non-profit agreement.
The development surfaced after Elon Musk recently filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of California for the County of San Francisco. More so, the X owner in the lawsuit highlighted that OpenAI’s partnership with Microsoft has pushed the tech firm from its focus on enhancing open-source artificial general intelligence (AGI) for the advantage of humanity.
Additionally, he highlighted the collaboration as a breach of contract. Similarly, some of SpaceX’s boss complaints focus on fiduciary duty violations and unfair business practices. In the lawsuit, Elon Musk explained how the introduction of ChatGPT-4 in March 2023 veered enormously from the core values of OpenAI.
Also, Musk stated that Microsoft gained financially from OpenAI’s digression to proprietary tech, which is against the company’s nonprofit focus. With the lawsuit, the Tesla boss is seeking to compel OpenAI to embrace its open-source principles. In addition, the billionaire asked for an injunction to stop the profit-making exploitation of AGI technology.
Background into the Lawsuit by Elon Musk
Recall that OpenAI started as a not-for-profit AI research lab in 2015, with Elon Musk as one of the co-founders. However, the firm diverted from its core model in 2020 by creating a business arm, transcending into a profit-oriented organization. Ever since, Musk has been a popular critic of the new business model, arguing that OpenAI is now paying attention to profit instead of impacting the lives of humans positively.
Further, he criticized how the company’s board attempted to remove Sam Altman in November 2023. The Tesla boss argued that the board’s attempt to oust its CEO is a reflection of their lack of knowledge about responsible AGI development. Elon Musk stated that the removal is proof of OpenAI’s focus on making more profits which aligns with the pursuit of Microsoft.
On the flip side, Elon Musk is leading the advocacy for tough government regulation on AI research. His call for strict oversight of AI research has gained significant attention from regulators. As per various reports, OpenAI in recent times has recorded more than $2 billion in annual revenue. The significant profit is due to the success of the company’s AI product. However, while commercializing its AI products, Open AI has become one of the fastest-growing tech companies in history.