Godfather of AI Joins Elon Musk in Legal Battle Against OpenAI

Geoffrey Hinton, often referred to and revered as the “Godfather of AI,” now supports Elon Musk’s lawsuit challenging OpenAI’s move toward a for-profit structure. For some background, OpenAI was founded in 2015 as a nonprofit to advance “safe” AI and has since proposed a transition that naturally triggered concerns. Musk’s legal action argues that the organization, originally mission-driven and tax-advantaged, is betraying its founding principles.

OpenAI began as an altruistic initiative devoted to developing beneficial AI for humanity, but its recent controversial announcement to pursue an entirely for-profit model—overseen by a nonprofit board—has drawn obvious criticism. Obviously, company executives defend the shift as necessary to secure continued funding and attract top-tier talent, but skeptics claim this pivot undermines OpenAI’s original safety-oriented commitments and is merely another cash grab that Wall Street is obviously all in on.

Musk filed an injunction to halt OpenAI’s corporate transition and accused executives of misleading him when he co-founded the organization. Remember, he was one of the founding members and funded their initial run. Musk argues that prioritizing revenue violates the group’s foundational ethos of AI safety. OpenAI disputes Musk’s legal standing and overall opinion on the matter, suggesting his true motive is to bolster his competing AI firm, xAI, and maintain a competitive edge in the sector which, knowing Musk, isn’t that far off.

Hinton’s stance resonates with broader industry apprehensions: He previously cautioned about a 10–20 percent chance of AI-induced human extinction within three decades. A youth advocacy collective, Encode, has also submitted a legal brief in Musk’s favor. OpenAI recently concluded a $6.6 billion funding round, pegging the firm’s valuation at $157 billion—further fueling debates on its dedication to public-interest objectives.