New York: On Tuesday, OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, refuted claims made by Elon Musk, alleging that the startup had veered away from its original goal of developing artificial intelligence (AI) for the betterment of humanity rather than for profit.
In a blog post, OpenAI stated its intention to dismiss all of Musk’s claims, following the lawsuit filed by the Tesla co-founder last week, accusing the Microsoft-backed firm of prioritizing profit over its original mission.
According to OpenAI, Musk had proposed merging the company with the electric vehicle giant Tesla, suggesting in an email that the startup should “attach to Tesla as its cash cow.”
The startup clarified that Musk’s suggestion came after discussions in 2017 about transitioning to a for-profit entity to raise capital for advancing artificial general intelligence (AGI) technology.
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However, negotiations stalled as Musk demanded majority equity, initial board control, and the CEO position at OpenAI, terms that conflicted with the startup’s belief that no individual should have absolute control over its mission.
In his lawsuit, Musk reiterated that OpenAI’s founders initially committed to developing AGI technology to benefit humanity. He also mentioned urging OpenAI to announce a $1 billion funding commitment in 2015, surpassing the original plan of $100 million proposed by CEO Sam Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman.
Read More: Elon Musk’s Legal Action Against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman Alleges Mission Abandonment
OpenAI expressed disappointment over the situation, stating, “We’re sad that it’s come to this with someone whom we’ve deeply admired—someone who inspired us to aim higher, then told us we would fail, started a competitor, and then sued us when we started making meaningful progress towards OpenAI’s mission without him.”
As of now, neither Musk nor Tesla has responded to requests for comment on OpenAI’s blog.
Musk’s lawsuit marks the climax of his ongoing conflict with the startup. Despite the friction, OpenAI has emerged as a prominent player in generative AI, partly due to substantial funding from Microsoft. Meanwhile, Musk launched his own AI venture, xAI, in July last year.
