Global Pulse

分类： technology

  • Musk says basis of charitable giving at stake in OpenAI lawsuit

    Musk says basis of charitable giving at stake in OpenAI lawsuit

    A landmark legal showdown between two of Silicon Valley’s most influential tech leaders has begun in a California courtroom, bringing long-simmering tensions over the founding and direction of artificial intelligence powerhouse OpenAI into the public eye. The trial, which pits former OpenAI co-founder Elon Musk against current CEO and fellow co-founder Sam Altman, has seen the two sides present starkly conflicting accounts of the company’s origins and core founding commitments.

    When called to the witness stand, Musk — dressed in a formal dark suit and tie — framed the dispute in clear, uncompromising terms. “It’s actually very simple,” he said. “It’s not okay to steal a charity… If it’s okay to loot a charity, the entire foundation of charitable giving will be destroyed.” Musk, who contributed $38 million to OpenAI during its early years as a non-profit research entity, argues that Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman abandoned the organization’s original charitable mission when they launched a commercial division in 2018, years before ChatGPT ignited the global generative AI boom.

    Musk’s lead attorney Steven Molo emphasized to the nine Oakland-based jurors that their client’s involvement was foundational to OpenAI’s existence, telling the court: “Without Elon Musk, there would be no OpenAI. Pure and simple.” Molo explained that Musk’s longstanding position on AI has always centered on responsible, public-benefit development rather than private profit, a stance that solidified after a 2015 meeting with then-President Barack Obama, where Musk grew increasingly concerned about the lack of government oversight for the rapidly advancing technology. Through the lawsuit, Musk is seeking the return of billions of dollars in what his legal team calls “wrongful gains” to be redirected to OpenAI’s non-profit arm, alongside leadership changes that include removing Altman from his role as CEO. His legal claims center on charges of breach of charitable trust and unjust enrichment.

    Counsel for OpenAI, however, has painted a far different picture of the dispute, arguing that the entire lawsuit is a cynical attempt by Musk to sabotage a leading business competitor. OpenAI attorney William Savitt told the court: “We’re here because Mr Musk didn’t get his way at OpenAI. Because he’s a competitor, Mr Musk will do anything to attack OpenAI.” Savitt claimed that Musk attempted to pressure other early OpenAI founders into merging the startup with his electric vehicle and tech company Tesla, and left the organization in a huff only when his bid for full control was rejected. “When they refused to turn the keys of artificial intelligence over to one person,” Savitt said, “When they refused to let OpenAI be absorbed, Musk took his marbles and went home. He left it, he thought, for dead.” OpenAI further argues that Musk never actually prioritized the non-profit model and is motivated by jealousy and regret over walking away from the company before its massive commercial success. The company notes that Musk now runs his own AI firm, xAI, which launched its chatbot Grok in 2023 — a full year after ChatGPT’s debut — and has lagged behind OpenAI in the race to develop advanced artificial general intelligence (AGI). OpenAI also claims that Musk was fully aware of and agreed to the 2018 decision to launch a commercial division, and that he only left after failing to secure the CEO position for himself. Altman is expected to take the witness stand later in the proceedings.

    Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who is presiding over the case, has already warned both parties against using their massive social media platforms to sway public opinion or influence the jury. On the first day of jury selection, Musk sparked controversy by referring to Altman as “Scam Altman” in a post on X, the social network he owns. While the judge ultimately declined to issue a full gag order that would bar trial participants from commenting on the case outside court, she urged Musk to curb his social media activity. “Try to control your propensity to use social media to make things worse outside this courtroom,” she said, asking both sides to maintain a “clean slate” moving forward. Both Altman and Brockman agreed to adhere to the same standard of conduct.

    Outside the courthouse, circulating photos show punching bags printed with the faces of both Musk and Altman, a striking visual indicator of the high public interest in the clash between two of the tech industry’s biggest names. A verdict in the trial is expected to be delivered in late May, with the outcome set to shape the future direction of one of the world’s most valuable AI companies and set a precedent for disputes over founding commitments in the rapidly growing tech sector.

  • Musk faces off with OpenAI in court over broken promises

    Musk faces off with OpenAI in court over broken promises

    A high-stakes legal battle that could reshape the future of the global artificial intelligence industry kicked off Tuesday in a California federal court, where Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk went head-to-head with OpenAI leader Sam Altman over allegations of broken founding promises. The Oakland trial, held just across the San Francisco Bay from OpenAI’s headquarters, is already being framed by industry observers as more than a corporate dispute: it is a fundamental clash over who gets to control the rapidly advancing AI sector, and for what ultimate purpose. Opening statements began Tuesday morning, with Musk’s legal team taking the podium first to lay out the tech billionaire’s case against OpenAI and its major backer Microsoft. Lead attorney Steven Molo told the nine-seat jury that the defendants “stole a charity” from its original mission of open, altruistic AI development for the public good. Molo acknowledged Musk’s polarizing public standing, telling jurors “He is a legend, like him or dislike him.” The jury selection process, completed Monday, laid bare the deep divide in American public opinion toward Musk: while the entrepreneur is celebrated globally for revolutionizing electric vehicles and commercial space travel, his sharp shift to conservative politics and public alliance with former President Donald Trump has alienated large swathes of the public. Just ahead of opening remarks, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers issued a rare public directive to both Musk and Altman: the two rivals would need to limit inflammatory social media posts for the duration of the trial. The order came after Musk unleashed a barrage of critical posts on X — the social platform he owns — on Monday, derisively referring to Altman as “Scam Altman.” What began as a professional partnership between the two men has curdled into open enmity, with Altman now widely regarded as Musk’s most high-profile nemesis in the global AI race. The roots of the feud stretch back to OpenAI’s founding in 2015, when Altman recruited Musk to join as a co-founder. At the time, the organization was billed as a non-profit research laboratory, with a stated mission to develop AI technology that “would belong to the world.” Musk put at least $38 million into the venture in its early days, but the pair split acrimoniously in 2018. One year later, the OpenAI Foundation launched a for-profit commercial subsidiary, and tech giant Microsoft stepped in with a series of large investments that have now grown to a total commitment of $13 billion. Today, Microsoft’s stake in OpenAI is valued at roughly $135 billion, and the company has become a commercial juggernaut worth $80 billion on paper, riding the unprecedented global success of its ChatGPT chatbot, which launched in 2022 and changed the public perception of AI overnight. OpenAI is now preparing for a high-profile initial public offering, though its unusual governance structure — which leaves ultimate control in the hands of a non-profit board, rather than commercial shareholders — has long made investors nervous. After exiting OpenAI, Musk launched his own rival AI research firm, xAI, which he merged into SpaceX in February of this year. SpaceX is currently valued at $1.25 trillion, and its own upcoming IPO, expected to launch in June, is projected to become the largest in U.S. history. In his lawsuit, Musk argues he was deliberately deceived about OpenAI’s commitment to its original non-profit, altruistic mission. Outside the courthouse Monday, OpenAI’s legal team pushed back against the claims, with attorney William Savitt saying co-founders Altman and Greg Brockman “are confident in their position and look forward to the facts being known.” In official court filings, OpenAI has countered that the 2018 split was caused by Musk’s own desire to seize total control of the organization, not any shift away from non-profit principles. The company has dismissed Musk’s lawsuit outright in public posts, calling it “nothing more than a harassment campaign that’s driven by ego, jealousy and a desire to slow down a competitor.” The trial will wrap up with a decision from Judge Gonzalez Rogers by late May, with the jury providing an advisory finding to guide her ruling. Musk’s legal team is asking the court to force OpenAI to reverse its transition to a hybrid commercial structure and return to being a pure non-profit, as well as remove Altman and OpenAI president Greg Brockman from their leadership roles. Though Musk initially sought up to $134 billion in damages, he has since said he would not keep any award, pledging to redirect any monetary settlement to the original OpenAI non-profit foundation. The outcome of the case could force OpenAI to fundamentally restructure its business model, sending ripples through the entire fast-growing global AI industry.

  • Why Sam Altman and his former hero Elon Musk are taking their toxic feud to court

    Why Sam Altman and his former hero Elon Musk are taking their toxic feud to court

    A years-long public feud between two of the technology sector’s most powerful figures, Elon Musk and OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, is set to move from social media exchanges to a California federal courtroom this week, opening a month-long trial that could reshape the trajectory of the global race for advanced artificial intelligence.

    What began as a collaborative vision for ethical AI development in 2015 has devolved into a bitter legal battle, with Musk accusing his former co-founder of betraying the project’s core non-profit mission to build artificial general intelligence (AGI) — AI that outperforms human-level capability — for the benefit of all humanity. In his lawsuit, which also names OpenAI president Greg Brockman and Microsoft as co-defendants, Musk alleges Altman defrauded him out of millions in early donations, orchestrated an illegal shift to a profit-driven structure, and reneged on the founding promises that drew him into the project in the first place.

    The roots of the rift stretch back more than a decade. The pair were first introduced by a Silicon Valley investor in 2012, when Altman, then in his 20s and head of influential startup incubator Y Combinator, viewed Musk as a personal hero. By 2015, they launched OpenAI together as a non-profit, with Musk, already a household name as CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, backing the project with roughly $40 million in early funding. For a time, the pair aligned on the need to develop AI cautiously, warning the technology carried existential risks even as it promised to reshape humanity.

    Tensions emerged by 2017, however, when OpenAI leadership began pushing for a transition to a for-profit structure to scale up development. OpenAI counters that Musk agreed to the shift but walked away after his demand for full, absolute control of the company was rejected. A 2018 email from Musk ahead of his departure made his frustration clear: he threatened to cut off funding unless the group committed to remaining a non-profit, before ultimately exiting the project entirely that year.

    The rift erupted into open conflict after OpenAI’s 2022 launch of ChatGPT, which ignited a global consumer AI boom and amassed 100 million monthly active users in just months. By 2024, Musk launched his own competing AI firm, xAI, which has trailed market leaders with its chatbot Grok, before filing the lawsuit against OpenAI. OpenAI has hit back, arguing Musk’s legal action is driven by jealousy and regret over leaving the company, and that he is seeking to sabotage a leading competitor in the race to AGI.

    Public animosity has spilled into viral social media exchanges repeatedly since the suit was filed. Last year, Musk led a consortium offering $97.4 billion to buy OpenAI’s assets, an offer the company rejected, with Altman quipping on X (formerly Twitter) that OpenAI would buy Musk’s platform for a tenth of that price if he was interested. Musk responded by calling Altman “Swindler”, and most recently rebranded him “Scam Altman” in a Monday post on the platform. Legal observers have noted that Musk’s repeated failed attempts to acquire OpenAI have cast doubt on his stated motives for the lawsuit.

    A nine-person jury was sworn in on Monday ahead of the trial, overseen by Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who has already made clear that the pair’s celebrity, wealth and influence will earn them no special treatment in her Oakland courtroom. Both Musk and Altman are expected to testify, along with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, former OpenAI leaders Ilya Sutskever and Mira Murati, and even former OpenAI board member Shivon Zilis, who is mother to four of Musk’s children. Pre-trial procedural wrangling has already produced colorful headlines: the judge barred discussion of Musk’s use of the stimulant colloquially called “rhino ket” in Silicon Valley, and one of Musk’s attorneys has drawn attention for moonlighting as a clown in his spare time.

    Microsoft, which has pumped billions into OpenAI as part of a strategic partnership, denies any wrongdoing, and Musk is demanding the return of billions in alleged “wrongful gains” to be redirected to OpenAI’s non-profit division, as well as the removal of Altman from his leadership role.

    The stakes of the trial extend far beyond the two billionaires, experts say, as the outcome could reshape the competitive landscape for AGI, a technology that is projected to carry enormous global economic and social power. If Musk prevails, he would effectively eliminate one of his biggest rivals in the global AI race, notes Rose Chan Loui, executive director of the Lowell Milken Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofits at UCLA. While Musk has positioned himself as a defender of OpenAI’s original non-profit mission, many observers worry his motives are not neutral, given his own significant stake in xAI.

    Sarah Federman, a conflict resolution professor at the University of San Diego, compared the clash to a heavyweight title fight, or a battle between King Kong and Godzilla: two larger-than-life giants whose fight leaves bystanders to navigate the damage they leave behind. “Musk and Altman are so big, so larger than life, and so unrelatable,” she said. “That’s what makes them so delicious to watch as they clash.”

    As the public continues to grapple with AI’s rapid integration into daily life, experts say the trial will pull back the curtain on the ambitions and intentions of the two men who have done more than almost any others to bring consumer AI to the global public. Whatever the verdict, the outcome will set a path that the rest of the world will have to live with for decades to come.

  • Japan Airlines trials humanoid robots as ground handlers

    Japan Airlines trials humanoid robots as ground handlers

    Japan’s aviation sector is turning to robotic automation to address a growing labor shortage, with Japan Airlines (JAL) set to launch a two-year pilot program deploying humanoid robots for ground operations at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport starting in May. The initiative, a collaboration between JAL and Japanese tech firm GMO AI & Robotics, was unveiled to reporters during a public demonstration on Monday.

    In the initial phase of the trial, the Chinese-manufactured humanoid robots will be tasked with loading and unloading cargo containers for aircraft. JAL, which currently employs approximately 4,000 ground handling staff across its operations, outlined that the core goal of the experiment is to reduce the physical workload placed on human employees. The company also revealed long-term plans to expand the robots’ scope of work, noting that the machines could eventually take over cabin cleaning duties and the operation of ground support equipment if the initial trial proves successful.

    Japan’s aviation industry has been facing mounting pressure on its workforce in recent months, driven by two key factors: a sharp rebound in inbound international tourism following the end of global COVID-19 travel restrictions, and the country’s long-running demographic challenge of a shrinking working-age population. Data from JTB Group, Japan’s largest travel services provider, shows that the country recorded more than 7 million foreign visitor arrivals in just the first two months of this year, a surge that has stretched existing airport ground staff thin.

    Tomohiro Uchida, president of GMO AI & Robotics, emphasized during the press event that despite the perception of airports as highly automated facilities, behind-the-scenes ground operations still depend heavily on manual labor and are grappling with severe staffing gaps. Yoshiteru Suzuki, head of JAL’s Ground Service division, echoed that sentiment in comments carried by Kyodo News, stating that shifting physically demanding tasks to robotic systems will deliver meaningful improvements to working conditions for human employees. Suzuki also clarified that humans will remain indispensable for core responsibilities that require critical judgment, including all aspects of safety management, which will not be transferred to robots.

    This pilot program is not the first adoption of robotic technology in Japanese airports. Across the country, automated robotic systems are already in use for a range of roles, from security patrols to retail service operations, marking a gradual but steady shift toward greater automation in the country’s aviation infrastructure.

  • Successful robot trial of smart eldercare

    Successful robot trial of smart eldercare

    Against the backdrop of a rapidly aging population and a fast-growing domestic robotics industry, southern Beijing’s Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area – widely known as Beijing E-Town – has launched an ambitious pilot project to test how smart technology can transform eldercare services for local communities. The 1,100-square-meter smart eldercare hub, which opened its doors in March in the district’s Ronghua subdistrict, blends the functions of a community activity center, a cutting-edge robotics showroom and a prototype nursing facility, marking one of China’s first large-scale trials of integrated robotic care for older adults.

    Ronghua subdistrict, like many urban areas across China, faces stark demographic shifts: official data shows more than 25 percent of its residents are aged 60 and above, with that share rising to 35 percent in some residential neighborhoods. To address growing demand for eldercare that goes beyond the basic assistance offered by traditional community care stations, local officials decided to leverage Beijing E-Town’s global reputation as a leading robotics manufacturing and innovation hub by integrating local tech firms’ products into daily elder services.

    The facility operates through a unique three-party collaboration model designed to combine public oversight, private sector efficiency and industry innovation. The local subdistrict government provides core funding and regulatory oversight, while a private service operator manages day-to-day operations for visitors. A state-backed platform called the “Robot Mall” curates and supplies robotic systems from 24 different domestic robotics companies, creating a living testing ground for new eldercare-focused technologies.

    To date, 43 distinct robots have been rolled out across the hub’s four floors, serving a wide range of needs from dining to recreation to rehabilitation. At the ground-floor cafeteria, a stainless-steel robotic chef handles automated stir-frying with consistent mechanical precision, never requiring a day off, while an automated pancake-maker greets visitors near the entrance. On the third floor, AI-powered massage robots offer on-demand therapeutic care, and the fourth floor houses powered exoskeleton suits designed to support older adults with limited mobility. A robotic chess opponent in the recreation room provides interactive entertainment for visitors looking for leisure activity.

    Unlike traditional eldercare facilities, this pilot hub is designed to iterate quickly based on user feedback. In the first month of operation alone, around 10 of the deployed robots were pulled from service for adjustments and modifications to better meet the needs of older visitors.

    For many older visitors like 74-year-old Ren, who travels an hour by bus from her home to visit the hub for a second time, the facility already solves a common everyday challenge for aging adults: access to affordable, nutritious daily meals. “The cafeteria is very good, and the food is delicious,” Ren said. She initially came to the hub to address what she calls the “dining problem” that many older adults face when cooking for themselves becomes difficult. “When I can’t take care of myself anymore, then I’ll think about how to get through those days. For now, I just need good meals.” While Ren has not yet tried the facility’s high-tech rehabilitation and massage robots, she embodies the target user group that Beijing E-Town is aiming to serve with this smart eldercare model, which seeks to match the district’s robust robotics innovation capacity to the pressing national need for expanded, high-quality eldercare.

    As China’s population continues to age, policymakers and industry leaders are increasingly turning to technological solutions to ease strain on traditional care systems, and the successful refinement of this model could see it rolled out to other communities across the country in coming years.

  • Taylor Swift files to trademark voice and image after AI concerns

    Taylor Swift files to trademark voice and image after AI concerns

    As artificial intelligence tools become increasingly accessible and capable of replicating distinct human characteristics, high-profile public figures are moving quickly to secure legal protections against unauthorized deepfakes and AI impersonation. Global pop icon Taylor Swift is the latest celebrity to take decisive action, submitting three new trademark applications with United States regulators to shield her name, iconic appearance and recognizable voice from exploitative AI misuse.

    The filings, first uncovered and published by trademark attorney Josh Gerben on his professional blog, mark one of the most high-profile recent attempts by a public figure to leverage existing intellectual property law against the fast-growing problem of AI-generated impersonations. Two of the applications center on short audio clips that Swift recorded last autumn to promote her latest album *The Life of a Showgirl* for streaming platforms Spotify and Amazon Music. The clips feature Swift’s iconic opening lines: “Hey, it’s Taylor” and “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift”. The third application is tied to a widely used promotional photograph of Swift captured during her record-breaking Eras Tour, showing the singer on stage holding a pink acoustic guitar with a black strap, clad in a multi-colored iridescent bodysuit and silver boots. This same image was previously used for official marketing of the Disney+ Eras Tour concert film.

    The push for legal protection comes amid a rising tide of problematic AI-generated content targeting Swift and other A-list celebrities. In recent years, deepfake versions of the pop star have spread across the internet in a range of unauthorized forms, from non-consensual explicit imagery to manipulated political content – including a fake election advertisement that purported to show Swift urging voters to support former president Donald Trump. These high-profile incidents have underscored the urgent need for clear legal protections for public figures against AI exploitation.

    Swift’s action follows a similar move from Hollywood actor Matthew McConaughey, who became the first major celebrity to use trademark law to protect his voice and image from AI misuse earlier this 2025. Prior to this, most celebrities relied on personality rights laws to address unauthorized use of their likeness, but trademark registration offers an additional layer of legal protection that can cover more types of AI-generated reproductions.

    According to legal expert Gerben, these trademark filings offer Swift broader protection than just preventing direct copying of the exact photo and audio clips. Under U.S. trademark law, holders can challenge any use that is considered “confusingly similar” to the registered trademark. This means that even AI-generated imitations that do not directly reproduce the registered files could still be challenged legally.

    “By registering specific phrases tied to her voice, Swift could potentially challenge not only identical reproductions, but also imitations that are ‘confusingly similar,’ a key standard in trademark law,” Gerben explained. “Theoretically, if a lawsuit were to be filed over an AI using Swift’s voice, she could claim that any use of her voice that sounds like the registered trademark violates her trademark rights. Same with the image filing. If someone creates an AI-generated version of Taylor in a jumpsuit with a guitar, or something close to it, now Swift has a federal trademark claim.”

    As generative AI technology continues to advance and spread, intellectual property and entertainment legal experts expect more high-profile celebrities to follow this trend, turning to trademark law as a new tool to combat the growing threat of unauthorized AI deepfakes and impersonations.

  • China’s first 1-mln-cubic-meter salt cavern hydrogen storage project starts operation

    China’s first 1-mln-cubic-meter salt cavern hydrogen storage project starts operation

    In a landmark milestone for global hydrogen energy development, China’s first one-million-cubic-meter-scale salt cavern hydrogen storage demonstration project officially entered commercial operation on Saturday in Pingdingshan, a city in China’s central Henan province. The launch pushes the nation’s renewable energy transition and hydrogen industrialization agenda into an unprecedented new phase, industry leaders confirmed at the opening ceremony.

    Salt cavern hydrogen storage is widely recognized as a transformative solution to one of the clean energy sector’s most persistent bottlenecks: low-cost, large-scale long-duration hydrogen storage and transport that can underpin the buildout of resilient new energy systems. Yang Chunhe, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, emphasized this critical role in remarks at the commissioning event. “This technology is the key to unlocking wide adoption of hydrogen as a mainstream clean energy source by removing the barriers that have held back large-scale storage and transportation to support new energy system construction,” Yang explained.

    The project leverages the high-purity natural salt rock deposits held by a gas storage and salt chemical subsidiary of the China Pingmei Shenma Group, a major state-owned energy and chemical enterprise. A collaborative cross-institutional team delivered the facility: core technological innovations were spearheaded by the Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, with engineering design and construction carried out in partnership with two of China’s largest national energy giants, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec).

    Liang Wuxing, deputy chief economist of China Pingmei Shenma, outlined the facility’s key specifications. The project developed a purpose-built water-soluble salt cavern with a total internal volume exceeding 30,000 cubic meters, delivering a total working hydrogen storage capacity of 1.5 million standard cubic meters. Currently, the facility operates two high-pressure compressors that inject hydrogen at 15 megapascals, with a steady injection rate of 2,000 standard cubic meters per hour.

    Unlike single-bodied thick salt formations common to many existing salt cavern storage sites, this project stores hydrogen in layered salt rock structures, a geological condition that accounts for most of China’s salt resource reserves. Yang confirmed that the operational launch has already formally verified both the long-term sealing reliability and full engineering feasibility of hydrogen storage in this common geological structure, clearing a major path for wider replication across the country.

    Looking ahead, the project’s engineering team has committed to advancing new development pathways for bulk hydrogen energy adoption. The team will work to commercialize the technology and test a range of diversified hydrogen use cases, from blending hydrogen into existing natural gas pipeline networks to fuel for hydrogen-powered heavy-duty trucks and hydrogen-fired industrial boilers.

  • Why Elon Musk and Sam Altman are fighting over OpenAI

    Why Elon Musk and Sam Altman are fighting over OpenAI

    What began as a collaborative partnership to build one of the world’s most influential artificial intelligence laboratories has erupted into a high-stakes legal battle that could reshape the future of the rapidly growing AI industry. Elon Musk, one of the original co-founders of OpenAI alongside current CEO Sam Altman, has launched a lawsuit against the organization and its leadership, seeking damages that exceed $130 billion.

    The origins of OpenAI trace back to 2015, when the project launched as a non-profit research initiative focused on developing safe, beneficial artificial general intelligence for the public good. Musk was a key early backer and founding board member, bringing both financial capital and global visibility to the fledgling organization alongside Altman, who would eventually take over as chief executive to steer the company’s rapid growth. That growth accelerated dramatically following the 2022 launch of ChatGPT, OpenAI’s groundbreaking large language model that ignited a global AI boom and pushed the company’s valuation into the hundreds of billions of dollars. Along the way, OpenAI restructured its governance model to include a for-profit commercial arm to scale development and attract major investment, a shift that has become a core point of contention between Musk and current leadership.

    Musk’s legal action argues that the organization has strayed dramatically from its original non-profit mission, abandoning the commitments that drew him and other early supporters to the project. The nine-figure damages claim reflects the massive market value that OpenAI has accumulated since its public breakthrough with ChatGPT, and a ruling in Musk’s favor could force major changes to OpenAI’s corporate structure, its commercialization strategy, and even its control of core AI technologies that are now used by millions of people and businesses around the world.

    For the broader global tech ecosystem, this lawsuit carries far-reaching implications. It shines a bright spotlight on the tension between the original public-interest mandates of many AI research projects and the enormous commercial pressures that have come with the AI boom. It also sets up a public showdown between two of the most high-profile figures in technology, whose competing visions for the future of artificial intelligence could shape the direction of the industry for years to come.

  • China blocks Meta from acquiring AI startup Manus

    China blocks Meta from acquiring AI startup Manus

    In a high-profile move that highlights growing regulatory scrutiny of cross-border artificial intelligence deals, China’s top economic planning body has formally blocked Meta Platforms’ planned purchase of Manus, a Singapore-headquartered AI startup with founding origins in China. The announcement, made public on Monday, marks one of the most prominent restrictions on a major U.S. technology company’s acquisition of an AI-linked firm with Chinese connections in recent years.

    The official order came from the Office of the Working Mechanism for Security Review of Foreign Investment under the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China’s leading planning agency. In its brief public statement, the NDRC confirmed it was prohibiting the foreign takeover of Manus and mandating all parties involved unwind the transaction completely. Notably, the agency did not explicitly name Meta, the American parent company of major social platforms Facebook and Instagram, in its public notification.

    This formal ban follows a preliminary investigation launched by Chinese regulators earlier this year, after the deal was first unveiled to the public. The NDRC did not release any additional details or expand on the specific justifications for blocking the acquisition in its public statement.

    The proposed deal was unusual from its inception: it represented a rare instance of a large U.S. technology group acquiring an artificial intelligence firm with deep founding ties to China. Manus has gained recognition in global AI circles for developing a general-purpose AI agent capable of completing multi-step, complex work tasks without continuous human input. For Meta, the acquisition was expected to accelerate the company’s development of advanced AI capabilities to enhance product offerings across its entire ecosystem of social and digital platforms.

    Even before the formal investigation was launched, Meta sought to address early regulatory concerns by confirming that after the acquisition closed, there would be no remaining Chinese ownership stakes in Manus, and the startup would end all its services and operations within mainland China. Still, Chinese regulatory bodies announced in January that they would launch a formal review to assess whether the deal aligned with the country’s existing laws and regulations governing foreign investment.

    At the time of that announcement, China’s Ministry of Commerce emphasized that all companies engaging in outward investment, technology transfers, cross-border data flows, and cross-border acquisition transactions are required to comply fully with all relevant Chinese legal requirements. Meta has repeatedly noted that the vast majority of Manus’ employees are based in Singapore, the startup’s official registered headquarters.

    In a written response to Monday’s ruling, Meta maintained that the proposed transaction had complied fully with all applicable laws. “We anticipate an appropriate resolution to the inquiry,” the California-headquartered company said in its statement, giving no further indication of what steps it might take moving forward. Industry analysts say the ruling underscores the increasing regulatory attention around the world to national security risks tied to AI and cross-border technology acquisitions, as global powers race to advance their own domestic artificial innovation ecosystems.

  • Stage set for Elon Musk’s court battle with OpenAI

    Stage set for Elon Musk’s court battle with OpenAI

    One of the most consequential legal battles in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence industry is set to get underway Monday, as jury selection begins in a lawsuit brought by billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk against OpenAI, one of the sector’s most high-profile and valuable players.

    The courtroom clash, unfolding in Northern California just across the San Francisco Bay from OpenAI’s headquarters, pits the world’s wealthiest individual against a research laboratory he helped launch as an early backer and co-founder in 2015 — and now competes against directly in the crowded generative AI market. Today, OpenAI’s blockbuster ChatGPT stands as the top industry leader in consumer AI chatbots, while Musk launched his own competing generative AI model, Grok, under his xAI venture in 2023.

    At its core, Musk’s legal challenge centers on claims that OpenAI betrayed its foundational non-profit mission, which was sold to him and other early supporters with the promise that all AI technology developed by the lab would ultimately belong to the public and benefit humanity as a whole. After being convinced by current OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to join the project in 2015, Musk invested tens of millions of dollars into the young research lab before stepping away from the organization several years later.

    As OpenAI pursued increasingly large and computationally intensive AI models, however, the company pivoted to raise massive amounts of capital to build the massive data centers required to power cutting-edge generative AI systems. It established a commercial subsidiary, and tech giant Microsoft has since poured tens of billions of dollars into the company to fuel its growth. Both Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Sam Altman are expected to testify during the trial.

    Musk maintains he was deliberately misled about OpenAI’s long-term commitment to an altruistic, public-focused non-profit mission. In his lawsuit, he is asking the court to force OpenAI to reverse its commercial transition and return to being a pure non-profit entity, as well as remove Altman and OpenAI president Greg Brockman from their leadership roles. Though Musk initially sought up to $134 billion in damages, he has since stated he would redirect any monetary award to OpenAI’s non-profit arm and seek no personal compensation.

    OpenAI has pushed back aggressively against Musk’s claims, arguing that the rift between Musk and the company grew not from a broken mission promise, but from Musk’s own quest to seize full control of the startup shortly before he left the organization. In a recent post on X, the social media platform Musk owns, OpenAI framed the lawsuit as a personal attack driven by ego and competitive jealousy. “This case has always been about Elon generating more power and more money for what he wants,” the company wrote. “His lawsuit remains nothing more than a harassment campaign that’s driven by ego, jealousy and a desire to slow down a competitor.”

    The company has also pointed to a contradiction in Musk’s position: just days after he launched his own xAI venture to compete in the advanced AI space in 2023, Musk publicly called for a six-month pause on advanced AI development, a move OpenAI frames as an attempt to hinder competitors while he caught up.

    Beyond the personal feud between Musk and Altman, the trial has thrown a spotlight on a core industry-wide debate that continues to divide AI developers and observers: whether advanced artificial intelligence should be developed as a public good open to all, or as a commercial technology driven by private sector profit. OpenAI currently operates under a hybrid governance model, where a non-profit foundation retains oversight over a for-profit commercial operating arm.

    Presiding judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will make the final ruling on the case by mid-May, drawing input from an advisory jury’s findings. The judge has also reserved the right to determine any final remedies for the alleged breach independently, without input from the jury. For Musk, who drew widespread criticism after gutting the content trust and safety team at X (formerly Twitter) following his $44 billion acquisition of the platform, the central challenge will be convincing the court that OpenAI was built on a broken promise to its early supporters.