A high-stakes lawsuit filed by Elon Musk against OpenAI is set to go to trial on Monday, with jury selection marking the start of proceedings in a case that could reshape debates around the future of artificial intelligence.
The courtroom clash pits Musk against the company he co-founded in 2015 alongside Sam Altman, with the billionaire alleging that OpenAI abandoned its original non-profit mission to develop AI for the benefit of humanity.
At the centre of the dispute is the evolution of OpenAI into a hybrid structure that includes a commercial arm—backed by billions of dollars from Microsoft, whose CEO Satya Nadella is expected to testify.
Musk claims he was misled into funding the organisation under the belief it would remain a non-profit entity, while OpenAI argues the shift was necessary to secure the vast resources required to build advanced AI systems like ChatGPT.
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The company has pushed back strongly, accusing Musk of attempting to gain control and slow down a competitor, particularly as his own AI venture, xAI, develops rival products such as the Grok chatbot.
The case, to be overseen by Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, is expected to explore whether OpenAI violated any legal commitments or simply adapted to the financial realities of cutting-edge AI development.
Musk had initially sought up to $134 billion in damages but has since said any potential award would be redirected to OpenAI’s non-profit arm.
Beyond the legal arguments, the trial highlights a broader question facing the tech world: whether powerful AI technologies should be controlled by private interests or developed for the wider public good.