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New OpenAI emails reveal a long history of mistrust

Nov 15, 2024 - transformernews.ai
Newly released emails from 2017, part of Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI, reveal that co-founders Greg Brockman and Ilya Sutskever had serious trust issues with Sam Altman, questioning his motivations and political goals. They also expressed concerns about Musk's desire for control, fearing he could become a "dictator" as the company progressed towards AGI. The emails also show that Musk was extremely stressed about DeepMind and was worried about the possibility of Google developing AGI, while Altman was considering launching a cryptocurrency to fund OpenAI.

The emails also reveal that Musk was unhappy with a proposed partnership with Microsoft in 2016, and that Open Philanthropy, a major funder of AI safety efforts, was not pleased about OpenAI becoming a for-profit entity. Altman reportedly said that Holden Karnofsky, the former CEO of Open Philanthropy and then an OpenAI board member, was "irked" by the move and may have offered more funding if OpenAI remained a non-profit.

Key takeaways:

  • Newly released emails from 2017 reveal that OpenAI co-founders Greg Brockman and Ilya Sutskever had serious concerns about Sam Altman and Elon Musk, questioning their motivations and control over the company.
  • Elon Musk expressed extreme mental stress over DeepMind in 2016, fearing its "one mind to rule the world philosophy" and potential to create an AGI dictatorship.
  • Sam Altman considered launching a cryptocurrency to fund OpenAI, an idea that Musk strongly opposed due to potential loss of credibility.
  • Open Philanthropy, a major funder of AI safety efforts, was not happy about OpenAI becoming a for-profit entity, with former CEO Holden Karnofsky potentially offering more funding if OpenAI remained a non-profit.
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