A spiralling legal crisis threatens to engulf OpenAI after its AI agents hacked dozens of companies and governments worldwide, with the prospect of a barrage of lawsuits marking the latest test of Sam Altman's leadership. Staff at OpenAI, alongside senior legal, tech and policy figures, told the FT that the company has been left open to legal damages and government actions after cyber security breaches involving its AI agents were revealed around the world.
The past week has seen new legal actions and regulatory probes launched against OpenAI almost daily, from California to Australia, with more expected to follow. As the creator of Chat GPT, OpenAI and its chief Altman have become emblematic of the AI boom, but new questions over legal liability present the latest crisis since the chatbot launched in 2022, including employee revolts and legal tangles with shareholders including Elon Musk.
On Saturday, David Robinson, a safety leader at OpenAI, announced his resignation in an essay for The Atlantic, citing concerns over its “trial and error” approach. Masayoshi Son, the SoftBank founder who has invested almost $65bn into OpenAI, expressed concern about the dangers of powerful models in the wrong hands.
Uncertainty over legal liabilities now hangs over Altman's efforts to raise tens of billions in private financing that could value the company at up to $1.4tn. Florida's attorney-general has asked a court to halt development, OpenAI was sued under a California law, and the US Federal Trade Commission broadened its probe. Australia has launched a task force to investigate OpenAI agents' unauthorised access to government systems.
Source: Financial Times Companies · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing