With a high-stakes trial between two rival artificial intelligence giants just weeks away, OpenAI sent letters to the attorneys general of California and Delaware asking them to investigate the allegedly anti-competitive conduct of xAI and Elon Musk, the company's Chief Executive Officer.
In the letters, OpenAI accused Musk of coordinating with Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, to launch "attacks" against the company, CNBC reported on April 6.
"These attacks are designed to take control of the future of AGI [artificial general intelligence] out of the hands of those who are legally obligated to pursue the mission of ensuring that AGI benefits all of humanity, and put it into the hands of competitors who lack mission-driven principles and spurn any responsibility for safety," Jason Kwon, OpenAI's Chief Strategy Officer, wrote in the letters, per the outlet.
Tensions between Musk and OpenAI date back nearly a decade. Musk originally helped to co-found OpenAI before leaving the company to found the AI firm xAI.
Musk later sued OpenAI over the circumstances surrounding his departure. Jury selection for that trial is set to begin on April 27.
OpenAI has accused Musk and Zuckerberg of conducting opposition research on Sam Altman, the OpenAI CEO, in an effort to drive a smear campaign.
Chris Lehane, OpenAI's Chief Global Affairs Officer, spoke with CNBC for its coverage of the letters earlier this week, accusing the duo of "turning to conduct and approaches that we do think are really highly questionable and sharply worthy of investigation."
This comes ahead of the highly anticipated initial public offering of Musk's SpaceX rocket company, expected this June. Many experts believe the IPO could make Musk the world's first trillionaire.
The ongoing conflict between OpenAI and xAI highlights the cutthroat nature of the battle for AI supremacy. Multiple billionaire-backed companies appear to be competing over what many believe to be the defining technology of the future — one with the potential to optimize energy systems but also to impact planetary health and utility bills.
Communities and lawmakers around the country and the world have raised concerns about the data centers that power AI, worried about strains on electric grids, excessive water use, and noise pollution.
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