Elon Musk sues OpenAI and Sam Altman for Microsoft deal

Elon Musk has lodged a legal complaint against OpenAI, the artificial intelligence research lab he co-founded. The lawsuit also implicates Samuel Altman and Gregory Brockman, both associated with OpenAI.

By Lindsey Schutters

1 Mar 2024

Elon Musk is claiming that Sam Altman breached the founding contract of OpenAI. Source: Wesley Tingey/Unsplash

The crux of the dispute lies in the “Founding Agreement”, which, according to Musk, was intended to develop artificial general intelligence (AGI) for the public benefit, rather than for profit.

Musk alleges that OpenAI has violated this agreement by entering into a profitable partnership with Microsoft.

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The lawsuit further contends that GPT-4, a language prediction model developed by OpenAI, may be considered AGI.

This assertion, if accepted, could have far-reaching implications for the field of artificial intelligence.

Musk’s legal action seeks specific performance to enforce the agreement, a determination that GPT-4 is AGI, and various forms of financial restitution.

The case continues to unfold, with the global tech community keenly watching the proceedings.