By Jonathan Baker When artificial intelligence (AI) first took off, there were universal concerns of the technology “taking over.” People were afraid of being replaced by AI. In short, a “humans vs. AI” mindset took hold. Recently, that battle took on a different meaning and setting: the courtroom. And two very recognizable entities are battling it out: OpenAI vs. Elon Musk. The Battle Yes, you read that right. As reported in AINEWS, the iconic AI platform intends to sue its one-time co-founder, Elon Musk. The reason? Musk, it seems, has been trying to discredit and take down this tech company he was once part of in 2015. During those few years, the working relationship between Musk and partners Sam Altman and Greg Brockman—respectively, the CEO and President of OpenAI—soured, and he left in 2018, and without fulfilling a pledge to donate $1 billion to the enterprise. Since then, tensions have heightened. From Seven Years Ago Until Today After Musk departed, Altman and Brockman restructured the financing of OpenAI through a “capped profit” entity which attracted investors. Musk’s current plan, according to AINEWS, is to promote his relatively new enterprise—xAI—by attempting to limit (if not eliminate) the high-profile platform that is OpenAI. (For those unfamiliar with xAI, it is a field of research focusing on methods to create AI algorithms that are more understandable.) Since then, the success of OpenAI has been seen, heard, and shouted about from the proverbial rooftops. Musk has not been pleased, which has prompted his smear campaign against OpenAI. Evidence of this is a bid (or a “sham bid”). “Sham Bid” Earlier this year, Musk and his followers orchestrated an offer of $97.375 billion for OpenAI’s assets. The argument from OpenAI claims this is a “sham bid” with a purpose to disrupt this platform’s operations, restructuring, fundraising, and trust among current investors and employees. The timing of this development is particularly critical, as OpenAI has been considering converting its status of being a capped-profit arm to a Public Benefit Corporation. Despite its power and prestige, OpenAI has been impacted by Musk’s tactics, resulting in… The Complaint Words including “stunt,” “relentless,” and “malicious” are among many that describes Musk’s smear campaign that led to OpenAI’s legal action against the mogul. The platform states that this campaign has thwarted its progress through “irreparable harm” to its operations. As the AINEWS article concludes: “With billions at stake and the future direction of AGI [artificial general intelligence] in the balance, this dispute is far from over.” Takeaway The beginning of this blog referred to the fear of technology taking over human efforts and endeavors. This court case between OpenAI and Elon Musk is an ironic twist on that fear. Whether books and movies ranging from “Frankenstein” to “Blade Runner” come to mind, this happening is proof of how truth truly is stranger than fiction.
