Elon Musk recently filed a lawsuit accusing OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, of a breach of contract. The online survey app, Real Research, revealed that 70.25% of the respondents were aware of Elon Musk suing OpenAI and 29.75% were not.

Highlights:

  • Elon Musk suing OpenAI is justified, according to 70.83% of respondents.
  • 64.35% are strongly concerned about AI performing a range of tasks at or above a human level of intelligence for profit rather than for the benefit of humankind.
  • OpenAI is somewhat not focused enough on the potential harms of artificial intelligence, according to 43.8% of the respondents.

Survey on Elon Musk Suing OpenAI

A survey on Elon Musk suing OpenAI was recently conducted. A lawsuit claimed that OpenAI is now developing artificial general intelligence (AGI), a theoretical form of AI that can perform a range of tasks at or above a human level of intelligence, for profit rather than for the benefit of humankind. 64.35% of respondents said they were strongly concerned about this issue. 29.03% were somewhat concerned, and 6.63% were not concerned at all.

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Figure 1: Respondents’ concern on OpenAI developing artificial general intelligence

Elon Musk Lawsuit Against OpenAI

Musk has accused OpenAI of breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and unfair business practices and claimed that the AI company had violated its foundational agreement and should revert to being an open-source platform. 49.9% of the respondents agree that OpenAI should revert to an open-source platform. 31.75% are unsure about this, and 18.35% do not agree at all.

Respondents-thoughts-on-OpenAI-reverting-to-an-open-source-platform
Figure 2: Respondents thoughts on OpenAI reverting to an open-source platform

In addition, Musk claimed that OpenAI needs to be more focused on the potential harms of artificial intelligence. 43.8% somewhat agree with this statement, and 33.15% strongly agree. 17.28% somewhat disagree that OpenAI needs to be more focused on the potential harms of artificial intelligence, and 5.78% strongly disagree.

Potential Dangers of Artificial Intelligence

Brian Quinn, a professor at Boston College Law School in the US, stated that Musk doesn’t have the right to sue OpenAI for a breach of contract because Musk isn’t a member of the board of directors anymore. 46.93% strongly agree with Quinn, and 31.28% somewhat agree. 12.55% strongly disagree with Quinn, and 9.25% somewhat disagree.

Lawsuit Impact on OpenAI’s Reputation

42.28% of respondents think it is somewhat likely that this lawsuit will impact OpenAI’s reputation as a non-profit AI research organization. 35.43% think it is strongly likely that the lawsuit will impact OpenAI’s reputation, and 16.3% think it is somewhat unlikely. 6% think it is strongly unlikely. 

Opinions-on-the-lawsuit-having-an-impact-on-OpenAIs-reputation
Figure 3: Opinions on the lawsuit having an impact on OpenAI’s reputation

Furthermore, 70.83% of the respondents believe Elon Musk’s concerns are justified, and 29.18% do not think so.

Methodology

Survey TitleSurvey on Elon Musk Suing OpenAI
DurationMarch 13 – March 20, 2024
Number of Participants5,000
DemographicsMales and females, aged 21 to 99
Participating Countries Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin, Bolivia,… Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, China (Hong Kong) China (Macao), China (Taiwan), Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Greanada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Maldives, Maluritania, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar [Burma], Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zimbabwe.