Elon Musk’s only AI expert witness in the OpenAI trial, Peter Russell, testified about the risks of frontier AI and warned about an AGI arms race. The testimony came in Musk’s case alleging OpenAI abandoned its nonprofit mission.
Peter Russell, Elon Musk’s only AI expert witness in the OpenAI trial, told the court he fears an AGI arms race and the safety risks that could come with it.
The testimony came on May 4 in Oakland as the lawsuit over OpenAI’s nonprofit mission continued. Musk argues that OpenAI abandoned its founding purpose as it evolved into a for-profit company.
According to coverage of the hearing, Russell raised concerns about frontier AI, including cybersecurity, misalignment and the pressure to move quickly in the race toward artificial general intelligence. OpenAI’s lawyers objected to parts of the testimony, and the judge limited some of it.
The trial has already featured broader disputes over OpenAI’s origins and business model, but Russell’s appearance put AI safety back at the center of the courtroom debate, if only briefly.
The immediate question is how much weight the court gives to expert evidence about AGI risk versus the corporate-law question at the heart of Musk’s case.
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