In its latest response, OpenAI has provided a clear response to Musk's indictment, revealing key details about the financing and the company's mission. OpenAI noted that since its inception in 2015, Musk has invested only $45 million, well below the $1 billion he initially promised. In addition, the company has successfully raised more than $90 million from other donors to support its research efforts.
In his lawsuit, Musk claimed that OpenAI had violated its initial contractual agreement by abandoning its non-profit nature in favor of pursuing profits. OpenAI's initial agreement required the company to "make its technology available for free" to the public, but according to Musk, the company has shifted its focus from open source to maximizing profits for Microsoft.
In its response, OpenAI highlighted that the company recognizes that the annual cost will reach billions of dollars due to the huge computing resources required to develop artificial general intelligence (AGI). To ensure access to the required funding and resources, companies realize that a transition to a for-profit structure is necessary. This realization sparked a rift between Musk and the other founders, with Musk proposing to merge OpenAI with Tesla or take full control, but eventually left the company.
OpenAI says its mission is to ensure that AGI benefits all of humanity, including by developing safe and beneficial AGI and promoting widespread public use of its tools. The company noted that its technology is being applied in places such as Kenya and India to empower people and improve their daily lives. In response to Musk's accusations that OpenAI is abandoning the open-source principle, the company highlighted that Musk had agreed to gradually shift to no longer being fully transparent as the organization made significant progress in AGI development.
This high-stakes legal battle for OpenAI could have a significant impact on the future direction and speed of development of AI, while also potentially changing the balance of power among the industry's major players.