In a recent blog post, OpenAI responded to Elon Musk's lawsuit by revealing past emails that suggest Musk's alleged plans to merge the organization with Tesla to create a for-profit entity.
The emails, dating from 2015 to 2018, shed light on Musk's involvement in OpenAI's operations and his vision for the future of the organization.
TOPSHOT - SpaceX, X (formerly known as Twitter), and Tesla CEO Elon Musk is silhoutted as he listens to a speaker during the UK Artificial Intelligence (AI) Safety Summit at Bletchley Park, in central England, on November 1, 2023. (Photo by TOBY MELVILLE / POOL / AFP)
OpenAI Reveals Elon Musk Emails
According to the revealed emails, Musk suggested that OpenAI announce a $1 billion funding commitment to avoid appearing inadequate compared to industry giants like Google and Facebook (now Meta).
Despite raising significantly less than the proposed amount, OpenAI took Musk's advice, indicating his influence on the organization's early financial strategies.
As discussions within OpenAI evolved, leaders recognized the need for vast resources, estimating the necessity of billions of dollars annually, particularly for computing power to achieve artificial general intelligence (AGI).
In response to these challenges, Musk allegedly proposed merging OpenAI with Tesla, believing it to be the only path capable of competing with Google in the AI field.
Elon and OpenAI agreed in late 2017 that establishing a for-profit organization was the next logical step. With this, Elon intended to be the CEO and to own the majority of the board's shares, contrary to OpenAI's mission of decentralization.
Despite the disagreements, Musk continued to express support for OpenAI, suggesting that it find its own path to raising funds.
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Elon Musk's Suggestion to Merge OpenAI with Tesla
During these discussions, Musk forwarded an email proposing that OpenAI attach itself to Tesla as its "cash cow," a suggestion that OpenAI ultimately did not pursue. Musk's departure from OpenAI in 2018 further strained relations, with Musk expressing doubts about OpenAI's relevance without significant resources.
Fast forward to 2024 and the billionaire now running his own AI company, xAI, is suing OpenAI. Musk asserts that OpenAI's $13 billion partnership with Microsoft, as well as the secrecy surrounding its most recent generative AI technologies, contradict the company's founding principles.
In response to Musk's lawsuit, accusing OpenAI of being a "closed-source de facto subsidiary" of Microsoft, OpenAI clarified that its mission did not imply open-sourcing AGI. The organization emphasized its commitment to ensuring that AGI benefits all of humanity while acknowledging Musk's early support and contributions.
The revealed emails provide insight into the complex relationship between Musk and OpenAI, highlighting the challenges of balancing commercial interests with the organization's mission of democratizing AI.
Last year, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman shed light on Musk's early contributions to the organization, recognizing Musk's "superpowers" that helped propel OpenAI to its current position, despite Musk, according to Altman, being a "jerk."
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