Elon Musk Says He Warned Obama About AI Risks as $100 Billion OpenAI Lawsuit Heads to Trial
Elon Musk made explosive claims during his testimony in a federal courtroom this week as his legal battle against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman officially began.
Speaking before a jury in Oakland, Musk argued that his long-standing concerns about the safety of artificial intelligence motivated his involvement in OpenAI long before AI became mainstream.
Musk Claims Google Ignored AI Safety
The billionaire entrepreneur testified that he personally warned Barack Obama about the dangers of artificial intelligence during a private meeting in 2015.
JUST IN: Elon Musk says he tried to warn former President Obama about AI, but was not taken seriously because it was not smart enough yet.
“Here we are in 2026, AI is very smart.” pic.twitter.com/QFzf4qwBwz
— Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) April 28, 2026
According to Musk, AI was still largely ignored at the time, but he believed it could eventually become a major threat to humanity.
During his testimony, Musk also revealed details about the tensions he had with former Google CEO Larry Page.
The 54-year-old tycoon claimed Page labeled him a “speciest” because of his pro-human stance regarding AI development.
Furthermore, Musk explained that one reason he helped create OpenAI was to establish a counterbalance to Google’s growing dominance in AI. He accused Google of failing to prioritize AI safety during the early stages of rapid AI advancement.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO also described efforts to recruit AI researcher Ilya Sutskever away from Google to help build OpenAI.
OpenAI Lawsuit Seeks More Than $100 Billion
The focus of the lawsuit is Musk’s accusation that OpenAI abandoned its original nonprofit mission.
As reported by Business Insider, Musk claims the company shifted toward private profit despite promises that artificial intelligence development would benefit humanity rather than corporate interests.
The lawsuit reportedly seeks more than $100 billion in damages and challenges OpenAI’s for-profit restructuring, which includes major backing from Microsoft.
Musk testified that he personally donated around $38 million to support OpenAI’s original mission when the organization launched in 2015.
AI Safety Debate Continues To Intensify
Musk compared AI to a highly intelligent child that can be uncontrollable without proper guidance and values.
He warned that unchecked AI development could create dangerous consequences once machines surpass human intelligence.
OpenAI strongly denied Musk’s accusations, describing the lawsuit as an attempt to disrupt competition within the rapidly expanding AI industry. The company called it a “legal ambush” in its own terms.
Originally published on Tech Times
