Elon Musk on Tuesday removed the names of several celebrities in an attempt to convince an Oakland federal jury that he is serious about the safety of AI.
He told nine jurors that he had a one-on-one meeting with former President Barack Obama in 2015. Instead of seeking favors for his company, he “spent an hour” warning Obama about the dangers of AI, which at the time “no one was really using.”
Musk also testified that in 2015, when Page was CEO of Google, Larry Page called him a “maverick” for his “pro-humanity” stance on AI.
“We thought it was very important to strike a balance with Google,” Musk said of co-founding OpenAI at a time when he was already running a number of other ventures, including SpaceX and Tesla.
“At the time, Google didn’t seem to care about the safety of its AI,” he said.
Musk was the first witness in the civil trial against OpenAI and Sam Altman. This is a high-stakes fight for a billionaire that could reshape the world of artificial intelligence.
During nearly two hours of testimony, Musk said that whenever there is a conflict between humans and AI, there will be a “parent human.” He also testified about his early career, his lack of work-life balance, and his efforts to recruit AI researcher Ilya Satskeva from Google to work at OpenAI.
“Larry Page refused to speak to me again,” Musk said.
Google and Page’s family office did not respond to requests for comment.
Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI and CEO Altman seeks more than $100 billion in damages, as well as dismantling the commercial structure of the $850 billion company behind ChatGPT.
At the heart of the lawsuit is Musk’s accusation that OpenAI’s founders, including CEO Sam Altman, have abandoned their founding mission as a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing AI for the public good rather than private gain. Tesla’s CEO claims he was tricked into contributing $38 million to the mission when Altman and OpenAI president Greg Brockman co-founded the company in 2015.
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A loss in court would be a blow to the charity, he testified.
“This is going to set a precedent that will allow us to rob every charity in America,” Musk said.
The lawsuit, filed in 2024, alleges that Altman and Brockman used their own funds to create a “for-profit market paralyzing gorgon,” effectively turning OpenAI into a “subsidiary of Microsoft.”
Last year, OpenAI completed a major reorganization that transitioned the company into a more traditional for-profit organization. Microsoft holds approximately 27% of the shares in the for-profit organization, which is controlled by the nonprofit sector.
In Tuesday’s testimony, Musk likened AI to a super-smart child and said that unless someone “instills the right values” in it, it could “explode” and get out of control.
“That’s been my long-standing concern about AI: What happens when computers become much smarter than humans?” Musk said.
OpenAI said in an X post on Monday ahead of jury selection that Musk’s lawsuit was a “groundless and jealous act aimed at frustrating a competitor.”
ChatGPT’s creators claim that OpenAI and Musk agreed in 2017 about the need to go commercial, but say Musk “demanded complete control” and compromised when things didn’t get his way.
In a nearly three-week trial, nine jurors will consider Musk’s claims of breach of contract and unjust enrichment.
If the jury finds the defendant liable, A judge will decide how to hold them accountable. Musk also asked the judge to strip Altman and Brockman of their leadership roles and order them to return “all ill-gotten gains” from OpenAI’s commercial operations.
Musk left OpenAI in 2018 and later launched his own AI startup, xAI, in 2023. Musk’s SpaceX acquired xAI in February, and SpaceX is preparing for an IPO as soon as this year, potentially valuing it at more than $2 trillion.
OpenAI is also reportedly aiming for an IPO this year at a valuation of $1 trillion.