OpenAI was supposed to save humanity from dangerous AI. Now, it’s chasing billions in investor returns. Who’s looking out for us?

OpenAI, arguably the household name in AI research and development, is at a crossroads.

The company that brought us ChatGPT is prepping for dramatic shift, from its non-profit roots to a fully commercial enterprise, in a move that will redefine the commercial nature of artificial intelligence.

To put it bluntly, OpenAI is open for business, and business is booming.

OpenAI's Complex Structure

To say OpenAI has a complex organizational structure is like saying Sam Altman is “a bit polarising.”

Founded in 2015 as a home for ethical and transparent AI development (lol), OpenAI positioned itself as a non-profit research laboratory. Its mission was clear: to ensure that artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits all of humanity. It was a lofty, if wildly pretentious goal that attracted some of the brightest minds in the field, all united under the banner of responsible AI development.

But noble intentions rarely stay that way when they meet the reality of financial gain. In 2019, OpenAI introduced a "capped-profit" subsidiary designed to attract investment while ostensibly maintaining its commitment to the greater good. The cap on investor returns was set at 100 times their investment, a figure so astronomical that The Observer quipped it "might as well not exist."