AI has become a global trend in recent years, with two key figures in the future of AI, Musk and Sam Altman, going from co-founding OpenAI to becoming competitors, even willing to tear apart their relationship in court.
Their dispute concerns not only the future development direction of AI but also the direction of the global market and human civilization. Altman also discussed his journey with OpenAI, how he views the intensifying global AI competition, and the entangled relationship with Musk in an interview on December 24.
From non-profit to profit, from best partners to court battles.
Altman and Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 with the goal of researching and promoting AI in a non-profit manner, enabling AI to genuinely benefit humanity. At that time, Altman emphasized: "We are not influenced by financial pressure, so we can focus on research that has a positive impact on humanity." Musk also showed great enthusiasm for this, even personally investing to support it.
Musk resigned from the board in 2018 due to dissatisfaction with OpenAI gradually deviating from its non-profit model. Later, OpenAI further transformed its organizational structure from a purely 'non-profit' to a hybrid model combining both profit and non-profit structures, also bringing in billions in investment from Microsoft.
This move made Musk believe that this transformation has violated the original commitment to 'non-profit' and might even be illegal. Altman emphasized that the cost of developing AI is quite astonishing, and the transformation is a necessary step, further stating that developing AI could require over $100 billion.
(Musk accuses OpenAI of colluding with Microsoft to suppress the development of xAI: stealing over $40 million, Altman and Stripe are self-serving.)
Musk's lawsuits continue to explode, with Altman stating: 'He does not care about public welfare.'
Starting in 2024, Musk launched a series of lawsuits against OpenAI, requesting federal courts to prevent OpenAI from further transitioning to a for-profit enterprise. He has repeatedly criticized Altman in major media and social platforms, labeling him as 'untrustworthy,' and accused him of straying from the original intention by handing the most powerful AI technology to unreliable individuals.
Altman stated that Musk had repeatedly proposed turning OpenAI into a for-profit company and even suggested integrating OpenAI into Tesla, but was rejected by Altman. He believes Musk's motivation stems more from competitive pressure rather than a genuine concern for public welfare.
Meta also intervened, accusing the transformation model of being unfair.
Regarding Meta's interference in the 'transformation' battle, and its letter to California prosecutors requesting to prevent OpenAI from transitioning to a for-profit model, claiming it could provide unfair tax benefits to non-profit organizations. Altman believes Meta's actions may be an attempt to court Musk as a strategic partner, out of competitive pressure, or simply dissatisfaction with OpenAI's position.
(The controversy over OpenAI's transformation escalates! Meta takes legal action to stop it, aligning with Musk.)
Musk established X.AI as a counter, with both holding opposing views.
In addition to the legal battles, Musk has also established the AI company 'X.AI', directly competing with OpenAI. Altman described Musk as a 'combative person' with a strong competitive spirit, having similar grievances with many tech giants, but he emphasized that OpenAI's mission remains to benefit all humanity, rather than becoming a tool for commercial or personal interests.
Altman also repeatedly called for the government to establish safety regulations and related laws for AI during interviews. At the same time, he advocated that the government should not overly restrict, especially on the development of small companies, and should provide more flexibility. He believes that strict regulations like those for nuclear weapons might overly concentrate control in the hands of the government, potentially stifling technological innovation.
Altman further stated that while Musk also supports AI regulation, many believe that his initiative is more about suppressing competitors to enhance his own market position.
(The founder of OpenAI is not worried about Musk's political intervention in the AI market, expressing regret over their broken relationship: Musk was once my hero.)
The strategic significance under US-China power struggles, OpenAI participates in defense research.
In light of the intensifying US-China rivalry, Altman stated: "If China leads in the global AI arms race, it could have a significant impact on the security and economy of the US and the entire world." He further stated that the US needs to maintain its technological lead but also consider the possibility of cooperating with China to avoid entering an endless cycle of competition.
"Even if we do not agree with China, in areas like AI development that concern global common interests, cooperation may be necessary." Altman also emphasized that the US must ensure its leading position in global AI competition, or it could pay a high price. He called for the US government to increase investment in domestic chip manufacturers and data centers to maintain competitiveness.
In the past, OpenAI explicitly prohibited the use of AI technology in weapon development, but now it has collaborated with US defense contractor Anduril on defense research and is involved in developing AI systems for defensive weapons. Altman explained that assisting the US and its allies in responding to threats is a responsible approach, and the application of these technologies will be strictly limited.
The conflict between Musk and Altman has escalated from non-profit to profit, with even Meta joining the fray, extending to a global struggle for control over AI technology. In the context of US-China tensions and the intensifying global AI competition, this battle for AI not only changes the technology landscape but also determines the future direction of the international order.
(The US-China sanctions war: the US does not provide chips to China, and China retaliates by not supplying precious metals to the US.)
In this article, Altman discusses the AI competition and conflict with Musk: he only wants to integrate OpenAI into Tesla, and the US needs to increase investment in AI chips. This first appeared in Chain News ABMedia.