Are Elon Musk and OpenAI Fighting an AI Arms Race? Sam Altman’s Lawyers Think So
Elon Musk testified in his lawsuit against OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman, focusing on whether Musk’s actions reflect a desire to dominate AI rather than protect it. During cross-examination, attorneys for Altman and Microsoft pressed Musk about his business moves, including forming xAI in 2023 and allegedly poaching OpenAI employees like Andrej Karpathy for Tesla. Musk claimed his departure from OpenAI in 2018 was due to disagreements over for-profit subsidiaries and control, though he later wrote that Tesla would pursue AGI. OpenAI’s lead counsel accused Musk of withholding funds and attempting to control the company, while Microsoft’s attorney highlighted Musk’s delayed lawsuit against OpenAI and his interest in acquiring its intellectual property. The trial also revealed that xAI derived technology from OpenAI’s models, violating OpenAI’s terms of service. Musk testified that Tesla is not pursuing AGI but later stated on X that Tesla would be one of the first companies to achieve humanoid AGI. The cross-examination underscored tensions between Musk and Altman over AI’s direction, with Altman’s defense arguing Musk sought to dominate the field rather than prioritize safety.
Source: KQED