What changes after this lawsuit? Is it now clearer that the AI race is only about profit?
This lawsuit changes little, in fact I would say unfortunately very little.
The only practical effect is that, having lost, Musk will not have OpenAI pay the substantial damages requested and OpenAI will have more money to invest in its growth.
However, essentially, the case was closed on a technicality, due to statute of limitations. So the substance of the matter was not addressed, which would have been of great interest, even if it was more likely an excuse for Musk than a substantial concern.
The lawsuit Musk filed against OpenAI was based on the accusation of betraying its initial goals. OpenAI was created to develop artificial intelligence and technology that serve the good of humanity. However, during its growth, it became a for-profit entity and no longer a non-profit, thus entering the market.
This is the accusation made by Musk. An accusation that would have been interesting also because artificial intelligence should be for the good of humanity. But this was not discussed.
Another element Musk introduced in the lawsuit was the risks related to the development of general artificial intelligence, which is considered very risky if not governed. But this was not discussed either.
Therefore, all the hot and truly interesting issues at the heart of this case were not addressed by the ruling. Everything remains as before: confused and above all ungoverned.
Who is winning the competition now? Is this Claude’s moment?
Yes, I would say Claude is definitely the most appreciated artificial intelligence system, or at least one of the most appreciated internationally.
OpenAI is not a company that is generating much sympathy, especially after what happened with the U.S. government, when Anthropic, the company that produces Claude, basically refused to give the U.S. government carte blanche for the use of artificial intelligence in the military field. OpenAI practically replaced it without many scruples.
So there is indeed a race to use Claude, not only because it is considered more efficient, but also for, let’s say, ethical reasons. Also because Anthropic is somewhat the only one currently raising ethical questions.
This was seen, for example, at the conference held in San Francisco, where it gathered some religious figures precisely to ask how artificial intelligence should respond to certain user questions that have ethical impacts: in everyday life, in the development of our future, and in society.
However, we cannot forget China. We may know less about China, only some models arrive, but in reality artificial intelligence in China is experiencing great growth. It will soon be seen if something even stronger than Claude will come from China.
What risks do you see at this moment based on the sector’s evolution?
The greatest risks I see are governance risks.
Artificial intelligence is developing rapidly. There are many investments, everyone is investing, especially private companies. At the governance level, however, very little is being done.
In China it is more under state control, so there is state supervision. Obviously because winning the artificial intelligence challenge also means dominating geopolitically.
In Europe we have the artificial intelligence regulation, which will almost certainly now be extended in terms of its practical application, at least in part. But these are more safety regulations than geopolitical governance.
In the United States there is some confusion. On one hand Trump championed the development of artificial intelligence, liberalizing it and thus removing any and all constraints on its development. On the other hand, however, he has to deal with the electorate: according to recent polls, the American population seems very frightened by this excessive development of artificial intelligence and would like to take a step back.
In all this, other thinkers also come into play, like Palantir CEO Alex Karp, who even wrote a book, The Technological Republic, imagining a future dominated by artificial intelligence, with artificial intelligence as the protagonist of politics because it is the protagonist of war.
(Excerpt from Appunti by Stefano Feltri)
