Former OpenAI employees have asked attorneys general in California and Delaware to block the company's planned shift from a nonprofit to a for-profit structure. The group, which includes 10 ex-workers supported by three Nobel Prize winners, expressed concerns about the future control of powerful AI technology.

The letter sent this week to California's Rob Bonta and Delaware's Kathy Jennings requests they use their authority to protect OpenAI's original charitable purpose. The petitioners worry about accountability if the company achieves its goal of building artificial general intelligence (AGI) that surpasses human capabilities.

"Ultimately, I'm worried about who owns and controls this technology once it's created," said Page Hedley, a former policy and ethics adviser at OpenAI, in an AP interview. OpenAI was founded as a nonprofit research lab dedicated to developing AGI safely for humanity's benefit.

OpenAI defended its plans, stating that "any changes to our existing structure would be in service of ensuring the broader public can benefit from AI." The company added that its for-profit arm would be a public benefit corporation, similar to other AI labs, while maintaining a nonprofit component.

This petition follows an earlier appeal from labor leaders and nonprofits concerned about protecting OpenAI's charitable assets, valued in the billions of dollars. The company currently reports a market value of $300 billion and claims 400 million weekly ChatGPT users.

The signatories include Nobel laureates Oliver Hart, Joseph Stiglitz, and Geoffrey Hinton, along with AI pioneer Stuart Russell. "I like OpenAI's mission to 'ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity,' and I would like them to execute that mission instead of enriching their investors," Hinton said.

Former technical team member Anish Tondwalkar expressed concern about losing OpenAI's "stop-and-assist clause," which requires the company to halt development and help if another organization nears the achievement of better-than-human AI. Another signatory, Nisan Stiennon, warned more directly: "OpenAI may one day build technology that could get us all killed."

The global AI investment landscape continues to evolve rapidly, with the United States leading at $67 billion, China second at $7.8 billion, and India reaching tenth position with $1.4 billion in 2023, according to a recent UN report. Only these countries and Brazil and the Philippines are outperforming expectations based on their income levels.