Elon Musk has emerged as a prominent critic of OpenAI and its operational strategies. He has repeatedly voiced concerns that the organization has deviated from its initial mission and adopted what he perceives as a profit-oriented and closed-source approach to AI development. Recently, Musk went so far as to declare that if Apple integrates OpenAI's chatbot ChatGPT into the iPhone's AI functionalities, he will enforce a ban on iPhones within his offices. According to him, Apple's decision represents an "unacceptable security breach," prompting his companies, including X, to require employees to leave their Apple devices in Faraday cages at the entrance. However, Musk's critique is not merely rooted in rivalry; it reflects his dissatisfaction with the direction of an organization he co-founded.
Founded in December 2015 by Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Peter Thiel, and Reid Hoffman, OpenAI originally aimed to ensure the safe and transparent advancement of artificial intelligence. The founders envisioned OpenAI as a nonprofit entity dedicated to fostering the ethical and open development of artificial general intelligence for the benefit of humanity at large. "It's difficult to fully grasp the potential benefits that human-level AI could bring to society, while equally challenging to envision the potential harm if AI is developed or utilized incorrectly," OpenAI stated upon its inception.
According to Musk, he chose the name "OpenAI" to underscore its commitment to open-source development. "The 'open' in OpenAI was meant to signify 'open source... formed with a lot of good intentions,'" Musk explained in a conversation with WPP CEO Mark Read during the Cannes Lions Festival. However, Musk believes that the organization has strayed from its original principles and shifted towards a model focused on maximizing profit. "It has transitioned to a closed-source model for maximum-profit AI, which diverges from its intended purpose. I'm unsure how it veered off course," Musk lamented.
Musk officially parted ways with OpenAI in 2018 following prolonged disagreements over the organization's strategic direction and concerns regarding potential conflicts with his other ventures, notably Tesla and SpaceX. OpenAI acknowledged in a blog post that Musk's departure would eliminate a potential future conflict as Tesla intensified its focus on AI. Despite stepping down, Musk pledged to continue offering guidance and financial support to OpenAI.
Nevertheless, Musk has continued to clash with OpenAI's current CEO, Sam Altman, particularly over the company's shift to a "capped-profit" model in 2019. This decision coincided with significant partnerships with Microsoft, which initially invested $1 billion in OpenAI and later increased its investment to $10 billion. However, Musk remains critical of these moves, arguing they contradict OpenAI's original nonprofit and open-source ethos.
Despite his criticisms, Musk maintains optimism about the potential benefits of AI if developed responsibly. "In an ideal scenario, AI will strive to maximize your happiness. That could lead to positive outcomes," he remarked during discussions with Read.
