Altman on AI competition and conflicts with Musk: he only wants to integrate OpenAI into TSL, and the United States needs to increase investment in AI chips.

AI has become a global craze in recent years, with two key figures, Elon Musk and Sam Altman, both carrying the future of AI. From co-founding OpenAI together in the beginning, to becoming competitors now, and even going to court without hesitation.

Their dispute is not only about the future development of AI, but also about the direction of the global market and human civilization. Altman also talked about the journey of OpenAI on 12/24, how to view the increasing global competition in AI, and the grievances with Musk.

From non-profit to for-profit, from best partners to litigation

Altman and Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015, with the goal of researching and promoting AI in a non-profit way to truly benefit humanity. At the time, Altman emphasized, "We are not influenced by financial pressure, so we can focus on research that has a positive impact on humanity." Musk also showed great enthusiasm for this and even personally invested in support.

Musk resigned from the board of directors in 2018 due to dissatisfaction with OpenAI's gradual deviation from its non-profit model. Later, OpenAI further transformed its organizational structure from a purely 'non-profit' one to a hybrid model with both profit and non-profit elements, and introduced billions of dollars in funding from Microsoft.

This move has led Musk to believe that this kind of transformation has violated the original 'non-profit' commitment and may even be illegal. Altman emphasized that the development cost of AI is astonishing, and transformation is necessary, further stating that developing AI may require over 100 billion dollars.

(Musk accuses OpenAI of colluding with Microsoft to suppress the development of xAI: swindling over 40 million pounds, Altman and Stripe self-enrichment)

Musk's lawsuits are exploding one after another, Altman: "He doesn't care about public welfare"

Starting in 2024, Musk initiated a series of lawsuits against OpenAI and sought a federal court injunction to prevent OpenAI from further transitioning to a for-profit entity. He even publicly criticized Altman multiple times on major media and social platforms, calling him "untrustworthy" and accusing him of deviating from the original intention by entrusting the most powerful AI technology to unreliable individuals.

Altman said that Musk had actively proposed several times to turn OpenAI into a for-profit company and even suggested integrating OpenAI into Tesla, but was rejected by Altman. He believes that Musk's motivation stems more from competitive pressure rather than genuine concern for public welfare.

Meta also intervened, accusing the transformation model of being unfair.

Meta has also intervened in the "transformation" battle and sent a letter to the California prosecutor asking to stop OpenAI from transforming into a for-profit model, claiming that this may provide unfair tax advantages to non-profit organizations. Altman believes that Meta's move may be to win over Musk as a strategic partner or due to competitive pressure. It may also be dissatisfaction with OpenAI's position alone.

The OpenAI transformation controversy continues! Meta takes legal action to prevent it, standing on the same side as Musk.

Musk establishes X.AI to play chess, with the two parties holding opposing views.

In addition to legal disputes, Musk also founded the AI company 'X.AI', directly competing with OpenAI. Altman described Musk as a 'combative' and competitive person, with similar grievances with many tech giants. However, he emphasized that OpenAI's mission is still to benefit all mankind with AI, rather than becoming a tool for commercial or personal interests.

Altman also repeatedly urged the government to establish safety supervision and other relevant regulations for AI during the interview. At the same time, he also advocated to the government not to overly restrict, especially the development of small companies, please provide more flexibility. He believes that strict supervision like nuclear weapons or excessive centralization of control in the hands of the government may stifle technological innovation.

Altman further said that, although Musk also supports AI regulation, many people believe that his proposal is more like suppressing competitors to enhance his own market position.

(OpenAI founder is not worried about Musk's intervention in the AI market. He regrets the broken relationship: Musk was once my hero)

The strategic significance of the Sino-US struggle, OpenAI's participation in defense research and development

Regarding the intensifying competition between the US and China, Altman stated: 'If China were to take the lead in the global AI arms race, it could have significant impacts on the security and economy of the US and the entire world.' He further mentioned that the US needs to maintain its technological edge while also considering the possibility of cooperation with China to avoid a never-ending cycle of global competition.

"Even if we do not agree with China, in areas such as the development of AI, which is crucial to the common interests of the world, cooperation may be necessary," Altman also emphasized that the United States must ensure its leading position in global AI competition, otherwise it may pay a huge price. He called on the US government to increase its investment in domestic chip factories and data centers to maintain competitiveness.

In the past, OpenAI explicitly prohibited the use of AI technology in weapon development, but now it has collaborated with the US defense contractor Anduril to invest in defense research and development, and participate in the development of defensive AI systems for weapons. Altman explained that it is responsible to assist the United States and its allies in addressing threats, and the application of these technologies will be strictly limited.

The conflict between Musk and Altman, from non-profit to profit, even Meta has joined the battle, and it has expanded to the global competition for AI technology dominance. Against the backdrop of the escalating competition between the US and China and the global AI competition, this AI battle not only changes the landscape of technology, but also determines the direction of future international order.

(Sino-US Sanctions War: US Withholds Chips from China, China Strikes Back by Not Supplying Precious Metal Raw Materials to the US)

This article Altman talks about AI competition and Musk's conflict: he just wants to integrate OpenAI into Tesla, and the United States needs to increase its investment in AI chips, which first appeared in Chain News ABMedia.