Description
The rapid development of artificial intelligence has transformed AI from an open scientific project into a strategic arena involving states, corporations, and transnational actors. OpenAI provides a significant example of this transition. Founded in 2015 as a nonprofit organisation committed to developing artificial general intelligence for the benefit of humanity, OpenAI later adopted commercial structures and became one of the world’s most influential AI organisations.
This paper examines the conflict between Elon Musk and Sam Altman as a case study in the politics of AI governance rather than a purely personal or corporate dispute. Recent legal and public confrontations surrounding OpenAI have raised questions concerning institutional legitimacy, commercialization, transparency, and control over frontier AI systems.
Drawing on debates in International Relations concerning technological sovereignty, private authority, and global governance, the paper argues that leading AI firms increasingly function as geopolitical actors whose influence extends beyond traditional state structures. The OpenAI case demonstrates how private control of advanced AI technologies may reshape future international power relations.