Elon Musk and Sam Altman faced off in a federal courtroom on Tuesday for the first time since their legal battle erupted over the direction of OpenAI. Testifying in the trial, Musk claimed that his primary motivation for co-founding the artificial intelligence startup was to prevent a catastrophic scenario reminiscent of the 'Terminator' films.
"I started OpenAI to prevent a Terminator outcome," Musk told the court, referring to the dystopian movie series where a rogue AI nearly wipes out humanity.
The dispute centers on OpenAI's transformation from a nonprofit research lab into a for-profit giant valued at over $100 billion. Musk's lawsuit argues that Altman and the current board betrayed the original mission of safely developing AI for the benefit of humanity.
The judge presiding over the case admonished both parties for their "propensity to use social media to make things worse outside the courtroom" and urged them to dial back their online attacks. The trial is expected to continue for several more weeks, with potential implications for the entire AI industry.