Artificial intelligence company OpenAI has called on U.S. regulators to investigate Elon Musk and his associates over what it described as “improper and anti-competitive behaviour, escalating a growing legal dispute between the two sides.
According to a report by Reuters, OpenAI has formally urged the attorneys general of California and Delaware to consider launching an investigation ahead of a court trial scheduled to begin later this month.
The dispute stems from a lawsuit filed by Musk in 2024 against OpenAI, its Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman, and other executives. In the suit, Musk accused the company of straying from its original mission of developing artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity as it transitions into a for-profit business model.
Musk was one of the co-founders of OpenAI when the organization was established in 2015 but exited the company in 2018. He later launched his own artificial intelligence venture, xAI, which created the chatbot Grok to compete with OpenAI’s flagship AI platform.
In a letter sent on Monday, OpenAI’s Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon asked Rob Bonta and Kathy Jennings to examine what the company described as attempts by Musk and his allies to undermine OpenAI’s operations.
Kwon stated that Musk’s lawsuit seeks damages exceeding $100 billion from OpenAI’s nonprofit foundation a move the company says could severely weaken its ability to continue developing advanced artificial intelligence systems.
The executive also warned that the litigation could threaten OpenAI’s broader mission of ensuring that artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits humanity rather than being controlled by a small group of powerful interests.
Musk’s filings suggest that regulators may not have thoroughly reviewed OpenAI’s restructuring plans, Kwon wrote in the letter, adding that the company remains committed to responsible AI development.
In earlier court filings made in August, OpenAI alleged that Musk attempted to recruit Mark Zuckerberg to support a consortium bid aimed at acquiring OpenAI. However, the company said Zuckerberg ultimately declined to participate.
Zuckerberg leads Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
The legal battle is expected to move forward later this month after a judge in Oakland, California ruled in January that the case should be heard by a jury.
The dispute highlights growing tensions in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence industry, where technology giants and startups are competing to dominate the next generation of AI systems.
If the case proceeds as scheduled, the trial could become one of the most closely watched legal confrontations in the global tech sector, with significant implications for the future governance, funding structure, and regulation of advanced AI development.
