A pivotal trial that could shape the governance of artificial intelligence begins Tuesday in California, as Elon Musk and Sam Altman face off over OpenAI’s shift to a for-profit model.
Opening statements in Musk’s civil lawsuit against OpenAI and Altman will be heard in federal court after a jury of nine was selected on Monday.
Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, U.S. District Judge, has indicated she expects jurors to begin deliberations on liability by 12 May.
Musk alleges that Altman and OpenAI president Greg Brockman abandoned the company’s founding mission to develop artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity, instead turning it into what he describes as a “wealth machine” for investors.
He is seeking $150 billion in damages from OpenAI and its major backer Microsoft, with any award reportedly directed to OpenAI’s charitable arm. Musk is also asking for the organisation to revert to nonprofit status and for Altman and Brockman to be removed from leadership roles.
Musk, who helped co-found OpenAI in 2015 and reportedly contributed around $38 million in early funding, claims the company shifted towards a for-profit structure in 2019 after he left its board.
OpenAI disputes this, arguing Musk was aware of and supported the transition and only filed suit after failing to become chief executive and launching his own AI company.
The case is expected to feature testimony from Musk, Altman and Satya Nadella, and could provide rare insight into the early internal dynamics of one of the world’s most influential AI companies.
OpenAI argues Musk has attempted to undermine its growth while building his own competing AI venture, xAI, which it says trails OpenAI in usage and scale.
The dispute comes as OpenAI continues to expand rapidly, facing competition from firms including Anthropic and investing heavily in computing infrastructure. Reuters has reported the company could eventually pursue an IPO valuing it at up to $1 trillion.
Originally founded as a nonprofit research lab, OpenAI has since evolved into a hybrid structure involving a public benefit corporation model, with both nonprofit and investor stakes.
The outcome of the trial could influence not only OpenAI’s future structure but also broader expectations around governance, accountability and commercialisation in the fast-growing AI sector.
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U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will visit Russia then Ukraine over the weekend, Russian state news agency TASS has reported, citing an unnamed source. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also said American envoys will visit the capitals of both countries.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow for peace talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, two people familiar with the matter said. They were met by Russian Presidential Envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 4th of September, covering the latest developments.
U.S. efforts to squeeze Iran’s economy through an oil blockade and sanctions are becoming increasingly difficult for Tehran to withstand, according to three senior Iranian sources. Washington is escalating pressure in hopes of securing concessions in future negotiations.
An Iranian tanker was hit by U.S. forces on Saturday near Iran's key oil export hub, Kharg Island, in the Gulf, the semi-official Iranian news agency Tasnim reported.
The United States and China are preparing to hold their first official bilateral talks focused exclusively on artificial intelligence as concerns grow over the risks posed by increasingly capable AI systems.
AI may live in the cloud, but the infrastructure powering it is anything but virtual. As data centres consume ever more electricity and water, the race is on to find new ways to keep the machines running.
Hua Hong Semiconductor, China's second-largest contract chipmaker, is investing $2 billion to build a new fabrication plant in Wuxi, China as part of a push to expand capacity as domestic demand for AI-related chips outstrips what the industry can currently produce.
A humanoid robot developed by Chinese smartphone maker Honor has run 100 metres in 9.32 seconds, beating Usain Bolt's men's world record of 9.58 seconds, China's state broadcaster reported on Saturday.
An artificial intelligence agent running an experimental store in San Francisco has recommended dismissing a human employee after the worker repeatedly arrived late for shifts.
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