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A labor and nonprofit coalition is urging California Attorney General Rob Bonta to intervene and prevent OpenAI from converting into a for-profit entity. The group believes that the artificial intelligence (AI) research organization has abandoned its original mission to develop safe AI in favor of maximizing profits.
According to The Los Angeles Times, the organizations behind the petition are concerned that OpenAI’s decision to transition to a public-benefit corporation is driven by a desire to prioritize corporate investors and high-level employees over its charitable assets. The coalition argues that this move would be detrimental to the public interest and undermine OpenAI’s original mission.
For context, OpenAI began as a nonprofit research organization focused on AI development. It then transitioned into a for-profit company overseen and run by a nonprofit in 2019. While California law allows for such a structure, the petitioning organizations claim that OpenAI’s decision to pursue a new corporate structure is motivated by a desire for untold profits and control over powerful technologies rather than advancing its original mission.
OpenAI has justified its plans to go for-profit as a means to raise more funds, citing limitations on investor returns in its current nonprofit structure. However, the coalition behind this petition argues that this justification is insufficient and that OpenAI’s board has increasingly prioritized profit-driven goals over concerns about the risks of AI breakthroughs.
The group claims that OpenAI’s attempts to rein in the for-profit side have been inadequate, citing instances such as the rehiring of Sam Altman in 2023 after he was initially pushed out due to his more profit-focused approach. The petition joins other efforts to stop OpenAI’s conversion, including a letter from Meta claiming that the move would violate the law and Elon Musk’s attempt to buy the company.
The coalition is calling on Attorney General Bonta to take action to protect the public interest and ensure that OpenAI remains committed to its original mission of developing safe AI.
Source: https://www.engadget.com/ai/labor-and-nonprofit-coalition-calls-on-california-ag-to-stop-openai-from-going-for-profit-212548103.html?src=rss
