OpenAI has changed its mission statement 6 times in 9 years, most recently about AI that 'safely benefits humanity' | Fortune

OpenAI's recent restructuring into a for-profit entity, following significant investor funding, resulted in the removal of the word "safely" from its mission statement in its latest IRS disclosure form, which now reads: "OpenAI’s mission is to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity."

This change has drawn criticism from accountability scholars like Alnoor Ebrahim, who views it as evidence that OpenAI is prioritizing its bottom line over safety, especially since investors now have a stake in profits, a situation contrasting with the rules for tax-exempt nonprofits.

While OpenAI claims the goal remains the same and still uses safety language elsewhere, Ebrahim notes that the absence of explicit safety language in the core mission makes it difficult to hold the boards accountable for safety considerations, despite the company having changed its mission statement six times across nine years of filings.

(Source：Fortune)