Geoffrey Hinton, Ex-OpenAI Insiders, And Top AI Experts Sound Alarm On OpenAI's Restructuring: Warn It Could Strip Public Of Oversight, Betray AGI Mission
A coalition of over 30 leading artificial intelligence researchers and ethicists has issued an urgent warning about OpenAI's proposed corporate restructuring, expressing grave concerns that the changes could undermine public oversight and the company's original mission.
What Happened: The group published an open letter on the 'Not For Private Gain' website urging California and Delaware Attorney Generals to intervene in OpenAI's plan to buy itself out from under its nonprofit's control.
Don't Miss: 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones.
The letter argues that this restructuring would eliminate crucial governance safeguards designed to prioritize public benefit over commercial interests.
'Removing nonprofit control over how AGI [Artificial general intelligence] is developed and governed would violate the special fiduciary duty owed to the nonprofit's beneficiaries and pose a palpable and identifiable threat to OpenAI's charitable purpose,' the signatories stated.
The expert coalition includes AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton, notable former OpenAI researchers Steven Adler, Jacob Hilton, Daniel Kokotajlo, Gretchen Krueger, Girish Sastry, Scott Aaronson, Ryan Lowe, Nisan Stiennon, and Anish Tondwalkar. Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig, UC Berkeley computer science professor Stuart Russell, and Hugging Face ethics scientist Margaret Mitchell also joined the effort.
"Our board has been very clear: our nonprofit will be strengthened, and any changes to our existing structure would be in service of ensuring the broader public can benefit from AI," an OpenAI spokesperson told CNBC.
Why It Matters: This intervention comes at a critical juncture as OpenAI must complete its restructuring by year-end to secure the full $40 billion funding round led by SoftBank Group Corp.
The company plans to transform into a Delaware Public Benefit Corporation, allowing it to attract conventional equity investments while its nonprofit arm focuses on charitable initiatives.
The AI experts' objections parallel ongoing litigation from OpenAI co-founder Elon Musk, whose xAI Corp now competes with OpenAI after raising $6 billion in funding. Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT), which has invested nearly $14 billion in OpenAI, could also be significantly impacted by any regulatory action affecting the restructuring.
The dispute highlights growing tensions between OpenAI's original mission to ensure artificial general intelligence 'benefits all of humanity' and its commercial ambitions, raising fundamental questions about who should control and govern powerful AI technologies with potentially transformative global impacts.Read Next:
BlackRock is calling 2025 the year of alternative assets. One firm from NYC has quietly built a group of 60,000+ investors who have all joined in on an alt asset class previously exclusive to billionaires like Bezos and Gates.
Inspired by Uber and Airbnb – Deloitte's fastest-growing software company is transforming 7 billion smartphones into income-generating assets – with $1,000 you can invest at just $0.26/share!
Image Via Shutterstock
Send To MSN: Send to MSN
Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market.
Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga?
This article Geoffrey Hinton, Ex-OpenAI Insiders, And Top AI Experts Sound Alarm On OpenAI's Restructuring: Warn It Could Strip Public Of Oversight, Betray AGI Mission originally appeared on Benzinga.com
© 2025 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Why Shopify Stock Popped Today
A Wells Fargo analyst raised their price target on Shopify's stock today. They called the company their "signature pick" and believe it could be a lesser-known beneficiary of the AI revolution. Home to its Shopify Magic and Sidekick solutions, Shopify looks more poised to thrive amid AI's rise, rather than be disrupted by it. 10 stocks we like better than Shopify › Shares of North America's leading commerce enabler, Shopify (NASDAQ: SHOP), were 6% higher as of 3:30 p.m. ET Friday, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence. This rise stems from an analyst at Wells Fargo raising their price target on the stock from $107 to $125, naming Shopify a "signature pick." Although Nvidia, Palantir, OpenAI, and others capture most of the artificial intelligence (AI) fanfare, the analyst believes Shopify could prove to be a thematic AI story -- and I'd agree. In April this year, a leaked memo from Chief Executive Officer Tobi Lütke went viral. In it, he stated, "Before asking for more headcount and resources, teams must demonstrate why they cannot get what they want done using AI." Although this focuses on incorporating AI into Shopify's operations, the quote highlights that AI will be at the heart of what the company does going forward, whether internally or through its products. In 2023, the company launched Shopify Magic, a toolbox of AI-powered solutions (think AI-generated product descriptions or email campaigns, automated chat help, or image editing). Then, it launched Sidekick -- an AI-driven commerce assistant -- in 2024 to help with areas such as inventory optimization, pricing strategies, and gathering business insights. Just last quarter, Shopify launched This tool enables merchants to source products more effectively, allowing them to navigate the complex tariff environment in real time. Adding over 600 new product features for its merchants in the last two years alone, Shopify appears likely to remain an AI innovator rather than a disruptee, in my opinion. Though Shopify stock isn't cheap at 83 times cash from operations, its growth potential remains massive, holding only a 2% market share in its core geographies. Before you buy stock in Shopify, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Shopify wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $674,395!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $858,011!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 997% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 172% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 2, 2025 Wells Fargo is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Josh Kohn-Lindquist has positions in Nvidia and Shopify. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Nvidia, Palantir Technologies, and Shopify. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Why Shopify Stock Popped Today was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Upturn
2 hours ago
- Business Upturn
TEM Investor News: If You Have Suffered Losses in Tempus AI, Inc. (NASDAQ: TEM), You Are Encouraged to Contact The Rosen Law Firm About Your Rights
NEW YORK, June 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces an investigation of potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of Tempus AI, Inc. (NASDAQ: TEM) resulting from allegations that Tempus AI may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public. SO WHAT: If you purchased Tempus AI securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. The Rosen Law Firm is preparing a class action seeking recovery of investor losses. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the prospective class action, go to or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] for information on the class action. WHAT IS THIS ABOUT: On May 28, 2025, before the market opened, published an article entitled 'Tempus AI stock sinks following Spruce Point short report.' The article stated Tempus AI shares had fallen after 'the company was targeted in a short-seller report by Spruce Point. The report raised serious concerns about the integrity of Tempus AI's product, the credibility of its management, and its financial reporting practices.' On this news, Tempus AI's stock fell 19.2% on May 28, 2025. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. At the time Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: on Twitter: or on Facebook: Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. ——————————- Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 [email protected]
Forbes
2 hours ago
- Forbes
Cognitive Cities Are Rising To Define The Urban Future
Cities, where almost 60 percent of all humans now live, often struggle with a long list of issues that include traffic congestion, inefficient public services, high carbon emissions, economic and public safety challenges, and aging water and energy systems. As a result, there's a large and growing demand for novel solutions. It won't come as a surprise that new technologies are playing an increasingly important role in addressing a wide range of urban needs. The term smart city, which first began to appear in the 1990s, is often used to describe an urban area that adopts innovative digital technologies, data, sensors, and connectivity to improve a community's livability, workability, and sustainability. The smart city movement has had plenty of successes (and their fair share of failures and backlash), and public agencies committed to the use of innovative technologies and data to drive better governance can be found in every part of the world. Now a new concept is emerging that builds upon the success and limitations of smart cities. It's called the cognitive city and it's when AI, used in conjunction with other related emerging technologies, creates a more intelligent, responsive, and adaptable urban experience. This shift is unsurprising. It's happening as the intelligence age drives the emergence of a cognitive industrial revolution, an economic transformation that is forcing every organization to make sense of and see the opportunities in a world of thinking machines. At their core, cognitive cities are AI-powered and data-driven. They use these technologies and others to understand patterns in the urban space to help with decision-making, planning, and governance, and to power innovative urban solutions. Instead of being reactive, the aim is for city services to be proactive by anticipating needs and challenges. Over time, the city learns about its community, helping it to evolve to meet current and future needs. This may all sound a little too abstract, so let's put it in perspective by exploring two cognitive cities being constructed right now. Perhaps the most famous cognitive city underway is in the northwestern region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Called NEOM, this area includes The Line. Instead of being built in a traditional radial shape, The Line is a long, narrow strip, proposed to be 106 miles in length, 656 feet in width, and 1640 feet in height. Advanced cognitive technologies are at the heart of this city, enabling the optimization of transportation, resource management, and energy consumption—it will all be non-carbon based. The city is being designed to understand residents' needs and support personalized and proactive services such as healthcare, activity scheduling, and temperature management. The city of Aion Sentia, underway in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, has even bolder aspirations. It's being designed to anticipate even more resident needs. If you like to buy a latte from your favorite coffee store each day at 8am, it's going to be ready for you. If you have an anniversary upcoming, you'll be reminded, and reservations will automatically be made at your favorite restaurant. Central to this cognitive city will be a city-provided app that will be your urban assistant. For example, if you get an energy bill that is higher than expected, you'll be able to tell the app, and it will figure out what you need to do to reduce your energy use. Feeling ill, the app will make a medical appointment and take care of all the related logistics. Other cities embracing the cognitive city concept include Woven in Japan, Songdo in South Korea, and Telosa in the United States. This may all sound rather futuristic, and it is. Much of it has yet to be built and proven. The concept of cognitive cities has some significant challenges related to privacy and the extent to which residents even want automation is every aspect of their lives. Toronto's proposed urban project, Sidewalk, haunts both the city and the developers, and is a litmus test for cognitive technology use, as issues surrounding privacy and data contributed greatly to its abandonment. In the marketplace of ideas, communities will need to balance the benefits of an AI-powered urban future versus the concerns and risks they present. These questions and others won't be second order issues but will need to be addressed as priorities as we enter the era of cognitive cities.
