World leaders seek elusive AI common ground at Paris summit
By AFP
February 10, 2025
Macron and Modi must mount a charm offensive to find consensus with other governments - Copyright AFP Thomas SAMSON
Tom BARFIELD and Daxia ROJAS
World leaders were set to hold formal talks in Paris on Tuesday on artificial intelligence (AI), seeking elusive common ground on a technology subject to a global race for promised economic benefits.
Hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the gathering comes hours after Elon Musk reportedly put in a bid for star developer OpenAI, underscoring AI’s potential to gather power into a single pair of hands.
Attempts to reach global agreement may also frustrate major powers such as the United States and China, which have their own geopolitical tech priorities.
Media reports suggest that neither Britain nor the US — two leading countries for AI development — will sign a planned joint declaration as it stands.
“Good AI governance” requires “clear rules that foster the acceptance of AI technologies”, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was to tell counterparts, according to a draft of his speech seen by AFP.
Tech and political leaders are expected to arrive at the opulent Grand Palais from 8:45 am (0745 GMT) before the plenary session begins at 10:00 am.
Among them will be US Vice President JD Vance, Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.
Outside observers criticised an alleged leaked draft of the joint statement for failing to mention AI’s suspected threat to humanity’s future as a species.
The supposed draft “fails to even mention these risks” said Max Tegmark, head of the US-based Future of Life Institute, which has warned of AI’s “existential risk”.
– ‘Plug, baby, plug!’ –
In recent weeks, the United States’ $500 billion “Stargate” programme led by ChatGPT maker OpenAI, and the emergence of the high-performing, low-cost Chinese start-up DeepSeek, have brought into focus the technical challenges and price of entry for nations hoping to keep abreast on AI.
Meanwhile, the Musk-led $97.4-billion bid for OpenAI reported by the Wall Street Journal would compound the tech influence of the world’s richest man, already boss of X, Tesla, SpaceX and his own AI developer xAI as well as a confidant of US President Donald Trump.
Sam Altman, the OpenAI chief set to speak in Paris later Tuesday, responded to the reported offer with a dry “no thank you” on X.
For France, Macron vowed Monday to blast through red tape to build AI infrastructure in his bid to keep Europe competitive.
“We will adopt the Notre Dame de Paris strategy” of streamlined procedures that saw France rebuild the landmark cathedral within five years of its devastation in a 2019 fire, he said.
Macron’s push to highlight French competitiveness saw him repeatedly trumpet 109 billion euros ($113 billion) to be invested in French AI in the coming years.
He has also hailed France’s extensive fleet of nuclear plants as a key advantage providing clean, scalable energy supply for AI’s vast processing needs.
“I have a good friend in the other part of the ocean saying ‘drill, baby, drill’,” Macron said in a reference to Trump’s pro-fossil fuels policy.
“Here there is no need to drill, it’s plug, baby, plug!” he said.
EU Commission chief von der Leyen is expected to make further announcements on the bloc’s competitiveness on Tuesday.
– Gender pay gap –
Away from the political pageantry, OpenAI’s Altman was to address business leaders later Tuesday at the Station F tech campus in southeast Paris, founded by French telecoms billionaire Xavier Niel.
Altman mused in a blog post Monday that with ever more powerful AI systems on the horizon, “it does seem like the balance of power between capital and labour could easily get messed up” in the near future.
On Monday, high-profile summit attendees had warned against squandering the technology’s economic promise in the shorter term.
World Trade Organization chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said “near universal adoption of AI… could increase trade by up to 14 percentage points” from its current trend.
But global “fragmentation” of regulations on the technology and data flows could see both trade and output contract, she said.
In the workplace, AI is mostly replacing humans in clerical jobs disproportionately held by women, International Labour Organization head Gilbert Houngbo said.
That risks widening the gender pay gap even though more jobs are being created than destroyed by AI on current evidence, he added.
By AFP
February 10, 2025
Macron and Modi must mount a charm offensive to find consensus with other governments - Copyright AFP Thomas SAMSON
Tom BARFIELD and Daxia ROJAS
World leaders were set to hold formal talks in Paris on Tuesday on artificial intelligence (AI), seeking elusive common ground on a technology subject to a global race for promised economic benefits.
Hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the gathering comes hours after Elon Musk reportedly put in a bid for star developer OpenAI, underscoring AI’s potential to gather power into a single pair of hands.
Attempts to reach global agreement may also frustrate major powers such as the United States and China, which have their own geopolitical tech priorities.
Media reports suggest that neither Britain nor the US — two leading countries for AI development — will sign a planned joint declaration as it stands.
“Good AI governance” requires “clear rules that foster the acceptance of AI technologies”, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was to tell counterparts, according to a draft of his speech seen by AFP.
Tech and political leaders are expected to arrive at the opulent Grand Palais from 8:45 am (0745 GMT) before the plenary session begins at 10:00 am.
Among them will be US Vice President JD Vance, Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.
Outside observers criticised an alleged leaked draft of the joint statement for failing to mention AI’s suspected threat to humanity’s future as a species.
The supposed draft “fails to even mention these risks” said Max Tegmark, head of the US-based Future of Life Institute, which has warned of AI’s “existential risk”.
– ‘Plug, baby, plug!’ –
In recent weeks, the United States’ $500 billion “Stargate” programme led by ChatGPT maker OpenAI, and the emergence of the high-performing, low-cost Chinese start-up DeepSeek, have brought into focus the technical challenges and price of entry for nations hoping to keep abreast on AI.
Meanwhile, the Musk-led $97.4-billion bid for OpenAI reported by the Wall Street Journal would compound the tech influence of the world’s richest man, already boss of X, Tesla, SpaceX and his own AI developer xAI as well as a confidant of US President Donald Trump.
Sam Altman, the OpenAI chief set to speak in Paris later Tuesday, responded to the reported offer with a dry “no thank you” on X.
For France, Macron vowed Monday to blast through red tape to build AI infrastructure in his bid to keep Europe competitive.
“We will adopt the Notre Dame de Paris strategy” of streamlined procedures that saw France rebuild the landmark cathedral within five years of its devastation in a 2019 fire, he said.
Macron’s push to highlight French competitiveness saw him repeatedly trumpet 109 billion euros ($113 billion) to be invested in French AI in the coming years.
He has also hailed France’s extensive fleet of nuclear plants as a key advantage providing clean, scalable energy supply for AI’s vast processing needs.
“I have a good friend in the other part of the ocean saying ‘drill, baby, drill’,” Macron said in a reference to Trump’s pro-fossil fuels policy.
“Here there is no need to drill, it’s plug, baby, plug!” he said.
EU Commission chief von der Leyen is expected to make further announcements on the bloc’s competitiveness on Tuesday.
– Gender pay gap –
Away from the political pageantry, OpenAI’s Altman was to address business leaders later Tuesday at the Station F tech campus in southeast Paris, founded by French telecoms billionaire Xavier Niel.
Altman mused in a blog post Monday that with ever more powerful AI systems on the horizon, “it does seem like the balance of power between capital and labour could easily get messed up” in the near future.
On Monday, high-profile summit attendees had warned against squandering the technology’s economic promise in the shorter term.
World Trade Organization chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said “near universal adoption of AI… could increase trade by up to 14 percentage points” from its current trend.
But global “fragmentation” of regulations on the technology and data flows could see both trade and output contract, she said.
In the workplace, AI is mostly replacing humans in clerical jobs disproportionately held by women, International Labour Organization head Gilbert Houngbo said.
That risks widening the gender pay gap even though more jobs are being created than destroyed by AI on current evidence, he added.
By AFP
February 10, 2025
Paris' Grand Palais will be the scene for the two-day gathering
Paris' Grand Palais will be the scene for the two-day gathering
- Copyright POOL/AFP Gonzalo Fuentes
Tom BARFIELD and Daxia ROJAS
Political and tech industry leaders were set to descend on Paris Monday for a two-day summit on artificial intelligence, hoping to find common ground on a technology with the potential to upset global business and society.
Co-hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the gathering’s stated aims include “mapping” AI governance around the world, promoting the idea of more ethical, accessible and frugal AI and pushing for European sovereignty over the technology.
Monday’s meeting of around 1,500 guests in the French capital’s opulent Grand Palais will feature lectures and panel discussions outlining the promises of and challenges posed by AI, from around 9:30 am (0830 GMT).
Political leaders, including US Vice President JD Vance and Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing, are set to rub shoulders with the likes of OpenAI boss Sam Altman and Google chief Sundar Pichai.
OpenAI says its new artificial intelligence agent capable of tending to online tasks is trained to check with users when it encounters CAPTCHA puzzles intended to distinguish people from software
– Copyright AFP Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV
Two years on from the emergence of OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot, able to respond to all kinds of natural-language prompts, Macron on Sunday trumpeted the benefits of artificial intelligence and French efforts in the field.
– ‘Stargate’ sets the pace –
In a TV interview, he trailed “109 billion euros ($113 billion) of investment in artificial intelligence in the coming years” in France.
The cash would come from the United Arab Emirates, “major American and Canadian investment funds” and French companies, Macron said.
Sunday’s 109-billion-euro figure was “the equivalent for France of what the US has announced with ‘Stargate’,” the $500-billion US programme led by ChatGPT maker OpenAI, he added.
The technical challenges and price of entry for nations hoping to keep abreast in the AI race have become clearer in recent weeks.
Chinese startup DeepSeek stunned Silicon Valley heavyweights with its low-cost, high-performance AI models.
In the United States, President Donald Trump lent the aura of his office to the “Stargate” project to build computing infrastructure such as data centres.
These vast buildings concentrate in one place the data storage and processing power needed to develop and run the most advanced AI models.
“Europe has to find a way to take a position, take some initiative and take back control,” said Sylvain Duranton of the Boston Consulting Group.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen is expected to announce around 10 public supercomputers designed for use by researchers and startups while attending the summit.
– Global governance puzzle –
Away from the investment grandstanding, a group of countries, companies and philanthropic organisations said Sunday they would pump $400 million into a partnership called “Current AI” that would foster “public interest” approaches to the technology.
Current AI aims to raise as much as $2.5 billion for its mission to grant AI developers access to more data, offer open-source tools and infrastructure for programmers to build on, and “develop systems to measure AI’s social and environmental impact”.
“We’ve seen the harms of unchecked tech development and the transformative potential it holds when aligned with the public interest,” Current AI founder Martin Tisne said.
On Tuesday, political leaders from around 100 countries will hold a plenary session, with notable attendees including Modi, Vance, Zhang and Von der Leyen.
France hopes governments will agree on voluntary commitments to make AI sustainable and environmentally friendly.
But any agreement may prove elusive between blocs as diverse as the European Union, United States, China and India, each with different priorities in tech development and regulation.
Two years on from the emergence of OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot, able to respond to all kinds of natural-language prompts, Macron on Sunday trumpeted the benefits of artificial intelligence and French efforts in the field.
– ‘Stargate’ sets the pace –
In a TV interview, he trailed “109 billion euros ($113 billion) of investment in artificial intelligence in the coming years” in France.
The cash would come from the United Arab Emirates, “major American and Canadian investment funds” and French companies, Macron said.
Sunday’s 109-billion-euro figure was “the equivalent for France of what the US has announced with ‘Stargate’,” the $500-billion US programme led by ChatGPT maker OpenAI, he added.
The technical challenges and price of entry for nations hoping to keep abreast in the AI race have become clearer in recent weeks.
Chinese startup DeepSeek stunned Silicon Valley heavyweights with its low-cost, high-performance AI models.
In the United States, President Donald Trump lent the aura of his office to the “Stargate” project to build computing infrastructure such as data centres.
These vast buildings concentrate in one place the data storage and processing power needed to develop and run the most advanced AI models.
“Europe has to find a way to take a position, take some initiative and take back control,” said Sylvain Duranton of the Boston Consulting Group.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen is expected to announce around 10 public supercomputers designed for use by researchers and startups while attending the summit.
– Global governance puzzle –
Away from the investment grandstanding, a group of countries, companies and philanthropic organisations said Sunday they would pump $400 million into a partnership called “Current AI” that would foster “public interest” approaches to the technology.
Current AI aims to raise as much as $2.5 billion for its mission to grant AI developers access to more data, offer open-source tools and infrastructure for programmers to build on, and “develop systems to measure AI’s social and environmental impact”.
“We’ve seen the harms of unchecked tech development and the transformative potential it holds when aligned with the public interest,” Current AI founder Martin Tisne said.
On Tuesday, political leaders from around 100 countries will hold a plenary session, with notable attendees including Modi, Vance, Zhang and Von der Leyen.
France hopes governments will agree on voluntary commitments to make AI sustainable and environmentally friendly.
But any agreement may prove elusive between blocs as diverse as the European Union, United States, China and India, each with different priorities in tech development and regulation.
Ready or not? Countries set to be left behind in terms of AI development
By Dr. Tim Sandle
February 10, 2025
Image: © AFP Josep LAGO
Croatia tops a list of countries that will be left behind if they do not invest in AI, with the lowest overall score, signalling a major gap in AI development.
AI readiness is the product of four key dimensions: digital infrastructure, human capital, technological innovation, and legal frameworks. Often culture and data readiness are the most challenging areas underpinning the success or failure of these dimensions.
This comes from a recent study conducted by Zero Bounce, which analysed data across 40 countries to identify the ones that will be “left behind” if they fail to invest in AI. Key metrics such as population rates, venture capital investment in AI per capita, AI readiness scores, patent applications related to AI, and companies operating in the AI industry per capita were used.
The research provides a comprehensive ranking based on a compound score reflecting each country’s overall AI adoption and innovation capacity.
The most impacted countries were identified as:Croatia
Argentina
Greece
Turkey
Hungary
Slovakia
Latvia
Chile
New Zealand
Poland
As indicated above, Croatia leads the ranking of countries that will be “left behind” if they do not invest in AI, driven by its low venture capital investment of $25.70 per capita. The country has the lowest overall score of 84.9, highlighting the urgent need for investments to reach its full potential in the AI landscape.
Argentina ranks second due to its low AI readiness index of 68.57. The country has a deficient number of patent applications related to AI per capita, pointing at a lack of innovation and interest in the sector.
In third place, Greece struggles with the second lowest venture capital investment at $5.40 per capita and an AI readiness index of 67.28. As one of the countries that could be “left behind” without increased investment in AI, Greece struggles with patent applications related to AI, resulting in an overall score of 85.5.
Turkey comes fourth, with a low venture capital investment of $6.60 per capita and an AI readiness index of 60.73. The contrast between these low indicators and Turkey’s large population of over 84 million shows a gap in developing essential AI infrastructure, exposing Turkey to stagnation risks with an overall score of 85.6.
Hungary ranks fifth. Its low per capita number of patent applications related to AI reflects a lack of activity in the sector. With a $45.20 per capita capital investment and an AI readiness index of 78.57, its overall score of potential decline risk is 86.
Slovakia, sixth on the list, has the second-lowest AI readiness index (60.30) and the lowest venture capital investment ($1.20 per capita). Latvia ranks seventh. It has a venture capital investment of $164.70 per capita and an AI readiness index of 84.80.
Chile, ranked eighth, has an AI readiness index of 72.55, indicating a considerable gap in the sector. Chile has a venture capital investment of around $190.20 per capita and inadequate efforts to leverage resources for effective AI development based on the patent application rate. New Zealand is ninth among, with the third-lowest AI readiness index of 65.46.
Poland rounds out the top ten countries that will fall behind without investments in the AI sector. The country faces challenges due to its low venture capital investment of $31.00 per capita and the low number of patent applications related to AI activities, with an overall readiness score of 88.1.
By Dr. Tim Sandle
February 10, 2025
Image: © AFP Josep LAGO
Croatia tops a list of countries that will be left behind if they do not invest in AI, with the lowest overall score, signalling a major gap in AI development.
AI readiness is the product of four key dimensions: digital infrastructure, human capital, technological innovation, and legal frameworks. Often culture and data readiness are the most challenging areas underpinning the success or failure of these dimensions.
This comes from a recent study conducted by Zero Bounce, which analysed data across 40 countries to identify the ones that will be “left behind” if they fail to invest in AI. Key metrics such as population rates, venture capital investment in AI per capita, AI readiness scores, patent applications related to AI, and companies operating in the AI industry per capita were used.
The research provides a comprehensive ranking based on a compound score reflecting each country’s overall AI adoption and innovation capacity.
The most impacted countries were identified as:Croatia
Argentina
Greece
Turkey
Hungary
Slovakia
Latvia
Chile
New Zealand
Poland
As indicated above, Croatia leads the ranking of countries that will be “left behind” if they do not invest in AI, driven by its low venture capital investment of $25.70 per capita. The country has the lowest overall score of 84.9, highlighting the urgent need for investments to reach its full potential in the AI landscape.
Argentina ranks second due to its low AI readiness index of 68.57. The country has a deficient number of patent applications related to AI per capita, pointing at a lack of innovation and interest in the sector.
In third place, Greece struggles with the second lowest venture capital investment at $5.40 per capita and an AI readiness index of 67.28. As one of the countries that could be “left behind” without increased investment in AI, Greece struggles with patent applications related to AI, resulting in an overall score of 85.5.
Turkey comes fourth, with a low venture capital investment of $6.60 per capita and an AI readiness index of 60.73. The contrast between these low indicators and Turkey’s large population of over 84 million shows a gap in developing essential AI infrastructure, exposing Turkey to stagnation risks with an overall score of 85.6.
Hungary ranks fifth. Its low per capita number of patent applications related to AI reflects a lack of activity in the sector. With a $45.20 per capita capital investment and an AI readiness index of 78.57, its overall score of potential decline risk is 86.
Slovakia, sixth on the list, has the second-lowest AI readiness index (60.30) and the lowest venture capital investment ($1.20 per capita). Latvia ranks seventh. It has a venture capital investment of $164.70 per capita and an AI readiness index of 84.80.
Chile, ranked eighth, has an AI readiness index of 72.55, indicating a considerable gap in the sector. Chile has a venture capital investment of around $190.20 per capita and inadequate efforts to leverage resources for effective AI development based on the patent application rate. New Zealand is ninth among, with the third-lowest AI readiness index of 65.46.
Poland rounds out the top ten countries that will fall behind without investments in the AI sector. The country faces challenges due to its low venture capital investment of $31.00 per capita and the low number of patent applications related to AI activities, with an overall readiness score of 88.1.
DeepSeek’s impact on AI Sector
By Dr. Tim Sandle
February 8, 2025
Washington has expanded its efforts in recent years to curb exports of state-of-the-art chips to China - Copyright AFP/File I-Hwa CHENG
China’s DeepSeek is shaking up Wall Street and the technology world. The DeepSeek R1 app has topped the app download charts and caused U.S. tech stocks to sink, providing a competitor of equal power to ChatGPT (and yet one that costs less to produce0.
Looking into this next wave of AI for Digital Journal is Anders Indset, an internationally acclaimed thought leader and deep tech investor.
Indest is the Founder and Chairman of Njordis Group, a force behind initiatives like the Quantum Economy and he is the author of the upcoming book The Singularity Paradox: Bridging the Gap Between Humanity and AI (Wiley).
“On Wall Street and among large foundation-model providers and HPC companies, the common belief has been that the future of AI—particularly LLMs—is primarily about compute,” Anders explains to Digital Journal.
He adds: “However, DeepSeek demonstrates that new approaches will continue to emerge and that 2025 will bring additional major breakthroughs and publications showcasing progress in the field. Rumours suggest that DeepSeek’s model is far more efficient than others, implying that engineering and innovation are still achievable without massive budgets.
Speculation about the DeepSeek model began in Q3 2024, and since its official publication and release, two central points have emerged:
1. Innovation and Progress: New approaches to architecture and engineering are still possible.
2. Open Source vs. Risks: While there may be significant advantages to choosing an open-source model, it also poses substantial risks—especially as companies push toward AGI. Malicious actors could easily exploit open-source AI models, and if future autonomous agents can be trained on budgets of only a few million dollars, new dangers arise.
This leads Indest to gave into the future and to make the following predictions:
Prediction: AI striving Toward Human-Like architecture to take on reasoning and fundamental understanding
With a stronger emphasis on reasoning and understanding, new models are moving closer to mimicking the functioning of the human brain. At the same time, the limitations of current large language models are becoming a starting point for further innovation.
Prediction 2: Quantum Technologies as Game-Changers
Quantum chips and groundbreaking developments herald the next revolution. The “Year of Quantum Science and Technology” is delivering exciting momentum as companies like NVIDIA invest in a versatile quantum ecosystem that supports both large language models and more lightweight approaches. These advancements underscore the importance of technological expertise and scientific focus in the global race and open up the potentiality for new innovation clusters
Lessons Learned: Lightweight Models as the Key to Efficiency (and will be the driver of many new use-cases)
DeepSeek’s lightweight model vividly illustrates that we are far from a definitive evaluation of new technologies. It becomes evident that the competition among large language models extends beyond pure technology and is increasingly shifting to concrete business use cases—a critical phase for the future relevance of these approaches.
What to Expect next: Industrial AI for Practical Applications
The competition among large language models is increasingly focusing on practical business use cases. Particularly in the field of industrial applications, quantitative AI models—or industrial AI—present significant opportunities. Europe and Japan have large datasets and access to IP and special knowledge and expertise here, capable of developing economically relevant agents and models that can set new standards. (A chance for Europe / Germany to recover?)
Global Competition Creating Opportunities for Smaller Players
Asia and other regions are pursuing alternative agendas that challenge Silicon Valley. Despite intense global competition, this breakthrough shows that it is not too late for smaller players to also find opportunities to thrive in this dynamic environment through targeted innovation.
Capitalism and Competition as Engines of the Energy Transition
Rising energy demand is driving technological innovation. Long-term advances in efficiency and cost reduction in green technologies ensure that fossil fuels will become increasingly uncompetitive. Competition within the energy sector remains a crucial factor in accelerating this transition.
“Drill, Baby, Drill”: The Energy Crisis as a Catalyst for Innovation
Investments in fossil energy like oil and gas are driving long-term efficiency and technological progress in green energy. The capital flowing into the energy sector accelerates the development of batteries, solar systems, and other technologies, ultimately making the energy transition more efficient. Prediction: “Drill-Baby-Drill” will actually lead to more innovation in the Energy sector and speed up the transition to more efficient energy sources (Capitalism for Climate)
Reframed: Capitalism as an Accelerator of the Energy Transition
Capitalism, particularly through investments in the energy sector, creates the conditions for oil to lose its competitiveness in the long term. The growing demand for more efficient technologies drives innovations and ensures a faster transition to sustainable energy forms.
Geopolitical Dynamics: Risks and Opportunities
The technological race, especially through China’s advances, brings geopolitical tensions. At the same time, it creates opportunities for smaller players to remain competitive on a global scale.
Jevons Paradox and Accelerated Progress
The more people engage with technologies, the faster we experience progress and breakthroughs. This effect is amplified by the growing number of players and the competition driving further innovation.
Open Source and Censorship as Political Issues
The question of control and censorship, particularly in the context of China’s influence, is becoming increasingly political. At the same time, technological advances continue despite restrictions—an indicator of the resilience of innovation.
Limitations and the Unstoppable Nature of Technology
Attempts to limit technology through exclusion or political barriers are rarely successful. Progress continues, driven by global players and economic interests.
Competition as a Driver for Green Innovations
The increasing demand for energy and the associated competition are ensuring that technologies such as renewable energy and storage methods become cost-efficient and competitive more quickly.
Written ByDr. Tim Sandle
Dr. Tim Sandle is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for science news. Tim specializes in science, technology, environmental, business, and health journalism. He is additionally a practising microbiologist; and an author. He is also interested in history, politics and current affairs
Elon Musk heads group trying to buy control of OpenAI: report
BUT NOT TIK TOK
By AFP
February 10, 2025
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman seemed to dismiss an Elon Musk led effort to buy control of the startup in a social media post countering with a facetious offer to buy X, formerly Twitter, for a fraction of what Musk paid for it - Copyright AFP John MACDOUGALL
Elon Musk is leading an investment group offering $97.4 billion for the nonprofit that controls OpenAI, marking a new front in his war with the ChatGPT-maker, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.
Musk attorney Marc Toberoff said he submitted the bid to OpenAI’s board of directors, according to the Journal.
“No thank you, but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want,” OpenAI chief Sam Altman wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, apparently responding to the offer.
Musk, who bought X under its former moniker for $44 billion in 2022, replied to the post by simply writing: “Swindler.”
Musk’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Tesla boss and close ally of US President Donald Trump has been mired in an ongoing feud with Altman, with Musk filing repeated lawsuits against the San Francisco-based OpenAI.
Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015, with the company becoming the world’s leading AI startup since he left in 2018. He launched his own generative AI startup, xAI, in 2023.
“We created a bespoke structure: a for-profit, controlled by the non-profit, with a capped profit share for investors and employees,” OpenAI said in a December blog post that outlined a plan to become a Delaware Public Benefit Corporation.
The shift would require the company to balance the interests of shareholders, stakeholders, and the public in a tilt away from non-profit, according to the post.
Musk established xAI in early 2023 to have a foothold in the technology expected to disrupt how people live and work.
OpenAI is one of the world’s highest valued startups, but loses money on the high costs of turning out its expensive technology.
Trump in January announced a major investment to build infrastructure for AI led by Japanese giant Softbank, cloud giant Oracle and OpenAI.
The venture, called Stargate, “will invest $500 billion, at least, in AI infrastructure in the United States,” Trump said in remarks at the White House.
OpenAI co-founder and boss Altman, SoftBank’s chief Masayoshi Son and Oracle founder Larry Ellison attended the announcement.
But Musk was quick to cast doubt on the project, saying the money promised for the investment actually was not there.
The comments marked a rare instance of a split between the world’s richest man and Trump, with Musk playing a key role in the new US administration after spending $270 million on the Republican’s election campaign.
BUT NOT TIK TOK
By AFP
February 10, 2025
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman seemed to dismiss an Elon Musk led effort to buy control of the startup in a social media post countering with a facetious offer to buy X, formerly Twitter, for a fraction of what Musk paid for it - Copyright AFP John MACDOUGALL
Elon Musk is leading an investment group offering $97.4 billion for the nonprofit that controls OpenAI, marking a new front in his war with the ChatGPT-maker, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday.
Musk attorney Marc Toberoff said he submitted the bid to OpenAI’s board of directors, according to the Journal.
“No thank you, but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want,” OpenAI chief Sam Altman wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, apparently responding to the offer.
Musk, who bought X under its former moniker for $44 billion in 2022, replied to the post by simply writing: “Swindler.”
Musk’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Tesla boss and close ally of US President Donald Trump has been mired in an ongoing feud with Altman, with Musk filing repeated lawsuits against the San Francisco-based OpenAI.
Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015, with the company becoming the world’s leading AI startup since he left in 2018. He launched his own generative AI startup, xAI, in 2023.
“We created a bespoke structure: a for-profit, controlled by the non-profit, with a capped profit share for investors and employees,” OpenAI said in a December blog post that outlined a plan to become a Delaware Public Benefit Corporation.
The shift would require the company to balance the interests of shareholders, stakeholders, and the public in a tilt away from non-profit, according to the post.
Musk established xAI in early 2023 to have a foothold in the technology expected to disrupt how people live and work.
OpenAI is one of the world’s highest valued startups, but loses money on the high costs of turning out its expensive technology.
Trump in January announced a major investment to build infrastructure for AI led by Japanese giant Softbank, cloud giant Oracle and OpenAI.
The venture, called Stargate, “will invest $500 billion, at least, in AI infrastructure in the United States,” Trump said in remarks at the White House.
OpenAI co-founder and boss Altman, SoftBank’s chief Masayoshi Son and Oracle founder Larry Ellison attended the announcement.
But Musk was quick to cast doubt on the project, saying the money promised for the investment actually was not there.
The comments marked a rare instance of a split between the world’s richest man and Trump, with Musk playing a key role in the new US administration after spending $270 million on the Republican’s election campaign.
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