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Musk v. Altman Week 3: The Final Showdown
In the final week of the Musk v. Altman trial, lawyers traded blows over Elon Musk’s and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s credibility. Altman was grilled on his alleged history of lying and self-dealing involving companies that do business with OpenAI. But he fired back, painting Musk as a power-seeker who wanted to control the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI)—powerful AI that can compete with humans on most cognitive tasks.
Musk the Power-Seeker, Altman the Liar
As evidence of their commitment to AI safety, OpenAI brought out a golden trophy of a donkey’s ass that was gifted to an employee after he was called a “jackass” for standing up to Musk’s plans to race toward AGI.
Musk the Power-Seeker, Altman the Liar (continued)
Lawyers for both sides also presented their closing arguments. OpenAI lawyer Sarah Eddy argued that no testimony or evidence showed any conditions on Musk’s donations. She claimed that even though it was restructured as a public benefit corporation, the nonprofit remained committed to developing AI safely for the benefit of humanity.
Did Altman Promise to Keep OpenAI a Nonprofit?
Eddy argued that no commitments or promises were made. No restrictions were placed on Musk’s donations. She noted that in 2017, he tried to create a for-profit subsidiary and fought with Altman and Brockman to have control over it.
Jackass for AI Safety
The issue of the nonprofit’s commitment to AI safety came to the forefront. OpenAI’s lawyer Bradley Wilson handed the judge a small golden trophy inscribed: “Never stop being a jackass for safety.” The trophy belonged to Joshua Achiam, OpenAI’s chief futurist, who testified that he had warned Musk about speed compromising safety.
Key Takeaways
- Musk and Altman’s credibility were the focal points of their respective closing arguments.
- The jury will decide whether OpenAI remains a nonprofit committed to AI safety or if it has been hijacked by for-profit interests.
- The trial highlighted concerns about the ethical development of AGI, with both parties emphasizing different aspects of safety and control over the technology.
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Originally published at technologyreview.com. Curated by AI Maestro.
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