No, Elon Musk is no longer affiliated with or an owner of OpenAI as of 2023. However, he was one of the original co-founders back in 2015 and initially served as a key advisor and donor for the fledgling non-profit AI safety research group. Over time, Musk stepped away from OpenAI due to disagreements over safety standards, corporate structure changes to allow outside investors, and his own time limitations as CEO of Tesla.
Let‘s explore Musk‘s past and present views on artificial intelligence as well as the evolving ownership of OpenAI after he departed. This provides helpful context for understanding his current influence in the AI sphere from other companies he directs.
Elon Musk‘s Concerns Over AI Dangers
Elon Musk has been vocal for years about the critical importance of developing artificial intelligence responsibly so it benefits humanity. In multiple interviews and speeches, he has warned that AI could be an "existential threat" if guidelines and oversight are not maintained throughout advancement toward human-level machine intelligence, often called Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).
For example, in a 2021 World Government Summit interview Musk stated:
"I think AI is both promising and also presents a significant danger. So it needs to be regulated. There needs to be oversight and feedback as AI gets better […] I‘m not normally an advocate of regulation and oversight, but this is a case where you have a very serious danger."
Musk seems especially concerned that without ethical standards designed in from the start, uncontrolled AGI could optimize faulty objectives leading to extinction of humans or other catastrophic outcomes. That‘s why he was initially drawn to OpenAI‘s charter to ensure AI helps humanity through thoughtful safeguards.
However, Musk later disagreed with some of OpenAI‘s specific safety tradeoffs or priority shifts after he disengaged in 2018. He seems to advocate even stronger caution as AGI capabilities accelerate.
OpenAI Funding and Ownership Breakdown Over Time
As OpenAI transitioned from an early-stage non-profit to a more investment-focused hybrid company, outside funding and ownership stakes increased while Musk‘s direct say decreased proportionally.
Key Milestones Include:
2015 Launch – Musk co-founds OpenAI with Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, and others. He invests $10-15 million.
2018 – Musk departs board over conflicts but retains unknown minor stake or donations.
2019 – OpenAI LP formed, allowing investors. Microsoft invests $1 billion for 49% stake.
2023 – Microsoft invests additional $10 billion into OpenAI for further majority control.
Current Ownership Stakes:
Microsoft – 49% (2019) + substantial 2023 stake = 73% majority control
Other investors (LPs) – 49% combined
OpenAI Nonprofit – 2%
Elon Musk – 0% direct ownership
As the table shows, Musk went from being a founding member to having no official role within five years as corporate priorities shifted at OpenAI.
How Microsoft Shapes OpenAI Direction Now
Since its $1 billion investment in 2019, Microsoft has been actively advising OpenAI on product strategy and commercial opportunities beyond pure research pursuits. It has also keyed access to advanced Azure cloud computing resources to OpenAI along with underlying access unique supercomputing hardware.
Many experts believe Microsoft is positioning itself to be a leader in commercializing AI through integration with OpenAI models and priorities. Its 2023 added $10 billion investment came with greater decision-making control.
For example, OpenAI launched GitHub Copilot in 2021 using code models to suggest lines of code to software developers in real-time. This demonstrates OpenAI‘s shift to pursue more immediate commercial applications compared to its non-profit research days.
Tesla‘s AI Focus vs. OpenAI Goals
While OpenAI targets artificial general intelligence across domains, Tesla has focused intensely on achieving narrower AI breakthroughs specifically targeted at autonomous vehicles and related transportation applications under Elon Musk.
Tesla‘s "Project Dojo" aims to develop specialized AI training supercomputers to improve functions like enhanced auto-steering, accident avoidance features, self-driving capabilities and more. This leverages massive data gathered across Tesla cars on real-world roads.
So while Musk supports general intelligence research, his companies tailor the application scope more narrowly to transportation and products as opposed to OpenAI‘s broader goals.
Musk‘s Involvement With Other AI Companies
Beyond Tesla, Elon Musk founded Neuralink in 2016 to work on brain-machine interfaces by developing implantable chips to upload or enhance human cognition using AI.
While small, it offers another example of Musk exploring transformative AI use cases in healthcare. Neuralink focuses directly on symbiosis between AI and human brains, rather than pure independent artificial general intelligence targeted by OpenAI today.
So Musk‘s spin-off companies stay aligned in developing narrower AI for products where he maintains control and objectives. OpenAI has continued down its own path since his departure.
The Bottom Line
To summarize – Elon Musk retains huge influence as an AI thought leader but no longer directs OpenAI since stepping away in 2018. Concerns over safety standards and corporate structure likely led to disagreements.
Meanwhile, Microsoft now owns majority control over OpenAI‘s research and commercial direction. And Musk‘s companies like Tesla and Neuralink pursue their own more tailored AI goals around autonomous driving and symbiotic human enhancement respectively.
So while their founder played a historic role launching OpenAI, don‘t expect alignment with Musk‘s priorities as an independent company today funded by other large tech investors. The coming years will prove if commercial forces or caution shape OpenAI‘s impact on the future as AGI capabilities continue advancing.
