Elon Musk drops case against OpenAI and Sam Altman but without prejudice

Elon Musk
(Image credit: Tesla)

What you need to know

  • Elon Musk filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and Sam Altman for a stark betrayal of its founding mission.
  • Musk claims OpenAI is more focused on generating revenue for itself and its investors than using AI to benefit humanity.
  • The billionaire recently dropped the suit against OpenAI and its CEO without prejudice.

Earlier this year, Elon Musk filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman for a stark betrayal of the company's founding agreement. Musk further claimed that the ChatGPT maker has seemingly transformed into a closed-source de facto subsidiary for Microsoft.

The billionaire's suit indicated OpenAI is using its GPT-4 model to generate profit for itself and other partners like Microsoft, rather than using it to benefit humanity. He added that OpenAI's GPT-4 model constituted AGI (artificial general intelligence). Through the suit, Musk requested the court to compel OpenAI to revert to its founding mission and vision, including publicizing its research, findings, and technological advances.

In a surprising turn of events, Elon Musk has dropped the case against OpenAI and Sam Altman. Through his lawyers, Musk requested the dismissal of the suit. However, the filings didn't disclose the reason behind the billionaire's sudden change of heart. 

Interestingly, the application for dismissal was made just a day before OpenAI was supposed to make its case after allegations of veering off its founding mission. It's worth noting Musk's lawyers asked for the dismissal of the suit without prejudice. This means Musk will still have grounds to relaunch the suit later.

Musk blatantly expresses his reservations toward AI advances over privacy concerns

(Image credit: BBC News)

Elon Musk is arguably one of the harshest critics of new AI advances. In the past, he's claimed that technology might end humanity, take over our jobs, and more. 

His latest comments were centered on Apple's new AI strategy and partnership with OpenAI. According to the billionaire:

"If Apple integrates OpenAI at the OS level, then Apple devices will be banned at my companies. That is an unacceptable security violation. And visitors will have to check their Apple devices at the door, where they will be stored in a Faraday cage."

He even teased that he might venture into the mobile landscape and develop the "Grok Phone."

Kevin Okemwa
Contributor

Kevin Okemwa is a seasoned tech journalist based in Nairobi, Kenya with lots of experience covering the latest trends and developments in the industry at Windows Central. With a passion for innovation and a keen eye for detail, he has written for leading publications such as OnMSFT, MakeUseOf, and Windows Report, providing insightful analysis and breaking news on everything revolving around the Microsoft ecosystem. You'll also catch him occasionally contributing at iMore about Apple and AI. While AFK and not busy following the ever-emerging trends in tech, you can find him exploring the world or listening to music.