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In a dramatic week of testimony that has gripped the tech world, X CEO Elon Musk warned a federal courtroom that the pursuit of artificial intelligence without strict safeguards could lead to human extinction.
During a testimony in court for a case brought against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, Elon Musk on Thursday fired an AI doomsday warning, prompting the judge to cut him off.
On the stand in an Oakland, California, courtroom, Musk, who owns his own AI firm, warned about the grave consequences that AI can pose to humanity. “I have extreme concerns about AI,” Musk noted, adding that the technology “could kill us all.” Musk was appearing in a high-profile lawsuit against OpenAI when he compared the current trajectory of AI development to a “Terminator movie” and accused his former partners of betraying their original humanitarian mission in favour of profits.
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Musk’s ‘Existential’ Testimony
During his cross-examination on Thursday, Musk grew visibly impassioned as he discussed the safety risks of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). “We are playing with fire,” Musk told the court. “I helped fund this company to ensure that AI would benefit humanity, not to create a private profit machine that takes us toward a digital apocalypse. We don’t want to be in a Terminator movie.”
The billionaire entrepreneur, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015 before leaving in 2018, argued that the transition of the organisation from a non-profit research lab to a “capped-profit” entity controlled by Microsoft compromised the safety protocols. Musk’s legal team is seeking to force OpenAI to make its technology open-source and to return to its original non-profit roots.
OpenAI Strikes Back
Lawyers for OpenAI and Sam Altman have dismissed Musk’s claims as “sour grapes,” suggesting the lawsuit is an attempt by the billionaire to boost his own competing AI firm, xAI.
During the gruelling cross-examination, OpenAI’s counsel presented internal emails from 2017 suggesting that Musk had once supported the idea of a for-profit pivot. But that, his condition was that he maintained control of the company. This proposal the other founders rejected, lawyers for OpenAI argued.
Sam Altman, who testified earlier in the week, told the court that the partnership with Microsoft was a “functional necessity” for his company to secure the massive computing power required to build safe and capable AI. Altman characterised Musk’s “apocalyptic” rhetoric as a distraction from the realities of their agreements.
What’s the Trial About?
The trial, now entering its second week, has to do with the “Founding Agreement” between Musk and Altman. The document, Musk claimed, existed as a binding contract. OpenAI, however, maintains it was a shared vision rather than a legal mandate. Musk told the jury during the hearing that he was a “fool” to provide funding, believing that ChatGPT was a “non-profit.” The billionaire stated that he made an investment of an estimated $850 billion to the organisation. Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles.
I actually was a fool who gave free funding for them to create a start-up, Musk said. I gave them $38mn of essentially free funding, which they used to create a … for-profit company.
Musk claimed that he was deceived by OpenAI’s “bait and switch” as the company first launched as a nonprofit, then expanded to make profits, becoming a major AI startup globally. Musk’s attorney showed the jury the email communication between Altman and President Greg Brokman, who were both present in the court. Musk received backlash from the employees of OpenAI, prompting him to halt his remarks. He stated that the proposed structure for the company was “off the table,” as he wrote in a September 2017 letter: “Guys, I have had enough,” adding that they must either create something of their own or convert to a non-profit.
The outcome of the trial could fundamentally alter how AI companies are structured and regulated. If Musk prevails, it could force OpenAI to reveal the “black box” of its proprietary models, such as GPT-4, to the public. If OpenAI wins, it will likely solidify the “closed” model of AI development that currently dominates the industry.
What’s Next in Musk-Altman AI Feud?
Musk is expected to return to the witness stand for further redirect from his own attorneys. Meanwhile, outside the courthouse, the trial has reignited a debate over AI safety and the ethics of “effective altruism” versus corporate growth. As the legal battle continues this week, critics have expressed concern if OpenAI would be a steward of humanity’s future, or, as Musk claims, a commercial venture would end humanity.