The Download: Musk and Altman’s legal showdown, and AI’s profit problem
Why this matters: a development in AI with implications for how people work, create, and decide.
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology. Elon Musk and Sam Altman are going to court over Open AI’s future Elon Musk and Open AI CEO Sam Altman head to trial this week in a case with sweeping consequences. Ahead of Open AI’s IPO, the court could rule on whether the company can exist as a for-profit enterprise. It could even oust its leadership. Musk, an Open AI co-founder, claims he was deceived into bankrolling the firm under false pretenses. He’s seeking $134 billion in damages, the removal of Altman and president Greg Brockman, and the company’s restoration to a non-profit. Find out how the trial could upend the global AI race. —Michelle Kim The missing step between hype and profit In a celebrated South Park episode, a community of gnomes sneak out at night to steal underpants. Why? The gnomes present their pitch deck. “Phase 1: Collect underpants. Phase 2: ? Phase 3: Profit.” It’s a business plan that captures the current state of AI. Companies have built the tech (Step 1) and promised transformation (Step 3). But how they get there is still a big question mark. Read about the potential paths forward. —Will Douglas Heaven This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter giving you the inside track on all things AI. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Monday. Welcome to the era of weaponized deepfakes For years, experts have warned that deepfakes could be deployed in malicious ways. These dangers are now here. Cheap, accessible models now produce weaponized deepfakes—from sexually explicit images to political propaganda—that look startlingly real. They’re already inciting violence, changing minds, and sowing mistrust, with women and marginalized groups disproportionately affected. Experts fear that they’re cratering trust and critical thinking. Here’s why they’re alarmed. —Eileen Guo Weaponized deepfakes are on our list of the 10 Th