Elon Musk Reveals He’s the Reason OpenAI Exists: A $50 Million Bet on AI Safety

In a recent interview with CNBC’s David Faber, Tesla and Twitter CEO Elon Musk made a startling revelation: he is the reason OpenAI exists. Musk, known for his ambitious ventures into space travel, electric vehicles, and artificial intelligence, claimed that he contributed around $50 million to the establishment of OpenAI, a leading artificial intelligence research lab.

“I am the reason OpenAI exists,” Musk stated, expressing his frustration over the direction the organization has taken. “It wouldn’t exist without me. I came up with the name. OpenAI refers to open source.”

Musk’s involvement with OpenAI was driven by his concerns about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence. He recounted long conversations with Larry Page, co-founder of Google, urging him to be cautious about AI. Musk felt that Google, especially after their acquisition of DeepMind, had a significant portion of the world’s AI talent and resources, but lacked concern for AI safety.

“The person who controls that, they’re not seemed to be concerned about AI safety, that sounded like a real problem,” Musk said. This led him to establish OpenAI as an open-source, non-profit organization, in contrast to Google’s closed-source, for-profit model.

However, Musk expressed regret over not securing governance for his substantial investment. “I fully admit to being a huge idiot here,” he admitted, expressing disappointment over OpenAI’s transition from a non-profit, open-source organization to a for-profit, closed-source entity.

“It does seem weird that something can be a nonprofit open source and somehow transform itself into a for-profit closed source,” Musk said. He compared the situation to a hypothetical organization founded to save the Amazon rainforest turning into a lumber company and selling the forest for profit.

Musk also raised concerns about the relationship between OpenAI and Microsoft, worrying that Microsoft might have gained more control over the organization. “As part of the Microsoft investment, they have rights to all of the software, all of the model weights and everything,” he noted.

Despite his disappointment with OpenAI’s current direction, Musk’s initial investment and involvement with the organization underscore his commitment to AI safety. His concerns about the potential dangers of AI and the need for responsible governance remain relevant as artificial intelligence continues to evolve and influence various aspects of society.