Elon Musk Not Impressed with OpenAI’s Latest Model Sora

Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, has once again expressed his dissatisfaction with OpenAI, an AI organization he co-founded with Sam Altman in 2015.

This comes in the wake of the launch of OpenAI’s new AI model, Sora. Musk, who departed from the company in 2018, has been vocal about his disapproval of the organization’s transition from a non-profit, open-source model to a profit-oriented, closed-source structure.

He has also criticized OpenAI’s collaboration with Microsoft on multiple occasions.

Interestingly, Musk himself launched a for-profit AI company, xAI, in 2021. He also owns Neuralink and Optimus, both AI-focused companies.

The Implications of OpenAI’s Sora Video Generator on Misinformation and Deepfakes

Sora, developed by Microsoft-backed OpenAI, which is also behind text and image generators ChatGPT and Dall-E, is being tested for safety and AI experts say it is a significant development on existing tools.

The product is initially rolling out to red teamers (experts in fields like misinformation, hate, and bias, who work with the company to improve product safety) as well as “a number of visual artists, designers, and filmmakers to gain feedback,” according to the company.

OpenAI shared several impressive examples of Sora’s capabilities, including a video of a woman walking in the neon glow of Tokyo streetlights, wooly mammoths galloping through the snow, an aerial view of a church on the Amalfi Coast, and a cartoon monster curiously kneeling before a melting candle.

Related: OpenAI Launches Sora, an AI tool that Creates 1-minute Videos

Elon Musk’s Feud with OpenAI: Unveiling the Clash of Visionaries in the AI Realm

However, Musk is not impressed with Sora, and he threw some major shade at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on Twitter.

Musk tweeted his criticism of Altman for transforming the company into a profit-making entity, echoing his past statements about AI not being for profit. Musk also threw shade at Altman for owning OpenAI’s venture capital fund.

According to a biography by Walter Isaacson, Musk’s disagreement with OpenAI began when Altman and other board members turned down his proposal to merge the company with Tesla Inc.

After his exit, Musk started building an AI team for Tesla, and OpenAI subsequently launched a commercial division.

Musk’s ongoing criticism of OpenAI can be traced back to several incidents. In February 2023, Musk expressed disappointment with how the company had evolved, particularly its association with Microsoft.

A month later, a report revealed that Musk’s attempt to control OpenAI was met with resistance from co-founders. By October, Musk again targeted Altman, agreeing with a user’s accusation that Altman had effectively ‘stolen the internet’ and was redistributing it through OpenAI.

OpenAI’s Sora: A Double-Edged Sword in the Fight Against Misinformation and Hate Speech

Sora isn’t available to the public, and the company has not indicated a timeline for when it will be.

The company said it will be “taking several important safety steps ahead of making Sora available in OpenAI’s products,” hateful content and bias to test the model.

OpenAI’s concern over how its video generation tools can be misused is echoed by practically every firm working in the field.

The ability to craft realistic and convincing content can help spread dangerous misinformation or damaging material like fake abusive content and inflammatory announcements from politicians and companies.

In the past, many of the biggest social media companies like Facebook and Twitter, now X, have been accused of not doing enough to tackle the huge amounts of misinformation and hate speech on their platforms. And with technological advances, experts warn the risks have only grown.

Final Thoughts

Elon Musk is not impressed with OpenAI’s latest model, Sora, and has thrown shade at the company CEO Sam Altman on Twitter.

Musk has been vocal about his disapproval of OpenAI’s transition from a non-profit, open-source model to a profit-oriented, closed-source structure.

Sora, developed by Microsoft-backed OpenAI, is being tested for safety and AI experts say it is a significant development on existing tools.

However, the company has not indicated a timeline for when Sora will be available to the public, and the company is taking several important safety steps ahead of making Sora available in OpenAI’s products.