Elon Musk has decided to sue OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT, citing a breach of the principles that were agreed upon when the organization was founded back in 2015. The lawsuit, which also names OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, alleges that the company has strayed away from its original mission of being a non-profit, open-source entity. Instead of focusing on “benefiting humanity” as initially intended, OpenAI is now being accused of prioritizing “maximizing profits” for its major investor, Microsoft.

OpenAI was originally established with the goal of developing artificial general intelligence (AGI) – a form of AI that can perform any task that a human can. Furthermore, it was structured as a not-for-profit organization, indicating that its primary aim was not to generate revenue. According to the lawsuit filed in San Francisco, Elon Musk, along with Sam Altman and other co-founders, agreed to the founding conditions under which OpenAI operated.

The core objective of the lawsuit is to compel OpenAI to adhere to the Founding Agreement and realign itself with the mission of developing AGI for the betterment of humanity, rather than serving the personal interests of individuals within the company and Microsoft.

The legal action comes in the wake of reports by the Wall Street Journal that US regulators have initiated an investigation into the ChatGPT creator for potentially misleading investors. This follows a period of boardroom turmoil at OpenAI in November 2023, during which Sam Altman was abruptly removed from the board only to be reinstated a few days later. Allegations of poor communication and leadership prompted the board’s loss of confidence in Altman, leading to Microsoft getting entangled in the dispute as well.

Elon Musk publicly expressed his concerns about the situation on X (formerly Twitter), with his legal team asserting that the recent events underscore Microsoft’s growing influence over OpenAI. According to the lawsuit, OpenAI’s closed-source technology, including GPT-4, primarily serves Microsoft’s proprietary commercial agenda.

Notably, Microsoft’s significant $1 billion investment in OpenAI in 2019 coincided with the AI firm’s transition from a non-profit model to a new “capped profit” structure, allowing external investments. This shift in financial strategy has raised questions about OpenAI’s original mission and commitment to developing AGI for the greater good.