Top AI Experts Accuse OpenAI of Prioritizing Profits Over Humanity

A coalition of prominent AI experts, including Geoffrey Hinton and Vitalik Buterin, has issued a strongly worded open letter accusing OpenAI of abandoning its nonprofit roots by shifting towards a for-profit structure, raising concerns that the company may prioritize profits over its founding mission to benefit humanity. The signatories, who describe themselves as the "legal beneficiaries" of OpenAI's original charitable mission, demand transparency regarding OpenAI's governance, safety measures, and how it plans to mitigate existential risks posed by advanced AI, warning that failure to comply might lead to legal action. This critique coincides with OpenAI's recent move to restructure as a public benefit corporation, which has triggered fears among AI pioneers that the company might compromise ethical safeguards. The letter highlights past internal warnings about AI risks and calls for clarity on whether OpenAI will continue to devote excess profits to humanity's benefit and uphold its legal commitments. Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s xAI and OpenAI are embracing open-source strategies, with xAI planning to release Grok 2 as open source shortly, demonstrating a trend among AI companies toward collaboration and transparency. These developments reflect ongoing tensions and debates within the AI community about balancing innovation, ethical responsibility, and commercial interests.