--- title: "Elon Musk Horrified by What OpenAI Has Become" description: "Tesla CEO Elon Musk is becoming increasingly irritated with the latest crop of AI chatbots that are wreaking absolute havoc right now." date: "2023-02-17" modified: "2023-02-17" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-horrified-openai" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "OpenAI" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "bing" - "elon musk" - "OpenAI" - "the digest" --- # Elon Musk Horrified by What OpenAI Has Become ![Tesla CEO Elon Musk is becoming increasingly irritated with the latest crop of AI chatbots that are wreaking absolute havoc right now.]() *\Image: CARINA JOHANSEN/NTB/AFP via Getty Images\* ## Qualia Zombie Tesla CEO Elon Musk is becoming increasingly irritated with the latest crop of AI chatbots, which are [wreaking absolute havoc]() on the web right now. That makes sense given his own personal history with OpenAI, the organization he cofounded around eight years ago. In 2018, Musk [left]() the group's board amid disagreements about its direction. The next year, the company [turned from a non-profit into a for-profit private entity](), a decision that clearly enraged Musk. "OpenAI was created as an open source (which is why I named it 'Open' AI), non-profit company to serve as a counterweight to Google," Musk [tweeted]() today, "but now it has become a closed source, maximum-profit company effectively controlled by Microsoft." ## AI Mayhem Microsoft [announced last month]() that it was investing $10 billion in OpenAI, which went on to develop the blockbuster AI chatbot ChatGPT and Microsoft's [erratic Bing AI](). But Microsoft clearly didn't see what it was getting itself into — or what would become of its newfangled AI, which was originally designed to enhance its second-rate search engine. Instead, though, the AI has very publicly attempted to [break up a journalist's marriage]() and has even [grown evil alternate personalities]() since being made available to the public on February 7. ## Biggest Risk As the chaos has grown, Musk first [reiterated]() that he believes that AI is "one of the biggest risks to the future of civilization," a drum he's been beating since well before he left OpenAI. Then on Thursday, Musk [compared]() Microsoft's chatbot to "the AI in System Shock that goes haywire and kills everyone," referring to a popular 1994 first-person video game. Given the current state of Microsoft's new tool, it's not difficult to understand why Musk is alarmed. While we've only seen glimpses of the technology's potential, we're witnessing the pain points of two profit-seeking tech companies trying to capitalize on a new idea without much of an apparent long-term plan. **More on Musk and AI:** [*Elon Musk Says Microsoft Bing Chat Sounds Like AI That "Goes Haywire and Kills Everyone"*]() ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()