'Trial of the Artificial Intelligence Age' Begins

It is, according to a New York Times Dealbook analysis, "the trial of the artificial intelligence age." Jury selection begins Monday in a case pitting two tech billionaires against each other—Elon Musk and Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI. In broad strokes, Musk accuses Altman of reneging on the original plan to keep OpenAI as a nonprofit research lab. Both were founding co-chairs of the entity about a decade ago.

• "This is a clash of two enormous personalities," veteran tech journalist Casey Newton tells NPR. "And I think what is at stake is potentially the future of OpenAI and the future development of all AI."
• Musk is seeking about $150 billion in damages, with the money to go back to OpenAI's nonprofit, not to Musk personally, per CNBC. He also wants a big shakeup in how OpenAI operates, including the ouster of Altman.

• The Wall Street Journal sees Musk as the underdog, but one with a plausible chance. Prediction market Kalshi pegs Musk's chances of prevailing at about 40%, down from the 57% he boasted about in January. He's also no longer pursuing most of his original claims—what's left is a streamlined case centered on whether OpenAI violated a "charitable trust" by shifting from the open, nonprofit AI lab he says he funded into a tightly controlled, profit-seeking structure backed by Microsoft. Even a partial victory could foul up the company's path toward a public listing.
• OpenAI counters that Musk knew about and supported the move to a for-profit entity, walked away when he didn't get control, and is now trying to hobble a rival to his own AI venture. NBC News looks at how the two men's personal and professional relationship has gone south over the years—and how both say they are relishing the public fight.
• The aforementioned Dealbook analysis concludes that "a Musk win could deal OpenAI a potentially serious blow. An OpenAI win could permit Altman to run the company more freely. But it's unlikely to give either side a decisive edge in an industry that in some ways has outgrown their fight."