OAKLAND, California May 18 (Reuters) – A U.S. jury on Monday ruled against Elon Musk in his lawsuit against OpenAI, finding the artificial intelligence company not liable to the world\u2019s richest person for having allegedly strayed from its original mission to benefit humanity.<\/p>\n
In a unanimous verdict, the jury in Oakland, California federal court said Musk had brought his case too late.<\/p>\n
The trial began on April 28. It has widely been seen as a critical moment for the future of OpenAI and artificial intelligence generally, both in how it should be used and who should benefit from it, including financially.<\/p>\n
People use AI for myriad purposes such as education, facial recognition, financial advice, journalism, legal research, medical diagnoses, and harmful deep-fakes.<\/p>\n
Many people express distrust of the technology and worry it could displace people from their jobs.<\/p>\n
The verdict followed 11 days of testimony and arguments where Musk\u2019s and Altman\u2019s credibility came under repeated attack.<\/p>\n
Each side accused the other of being more interested in money than serving the public.<\/p>\n
In his closing argument, Musk\u2019s lawyer Steven Molo reminded jurors that several witnesses questioned Altman\u2019s candor or branded him a liar, and that Musk did not give an unqualified yes when asked during the trial if he was completely trustworthy.<\/p>\n
\u201cSam Altman\u2019s credibility is directly at issue,\u201d Molo said. \u201cIf you don\u2019t believe him, they cannot win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Musk accused OpenAI of wrongfully trying to enrich investors and insiders at the nonprofit\u2019s expense, and failing to prioritize AI\u2019s safety. He also contended that Microsoft knew all along that OpenAI cared more about money than being altruistic.<\/p>\n
OpenAI countered that it was Musk who saw dollar signs, and that he waited too long to claim OpenAI breached its founding agreement to build safe artificial intelligence to benefit humanity.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Musk may have the Midas touch in some areas, but not in AI,\u201d William Savitt, a lawyer for OpenAI, said in his closing argument.<\/p>\n