xAI, Elon Musk’s startup, launches Grok 3, the newest generative AI on the market (Image: Money Times montage)
A former engineer from xAI who now runs a think tank dedicated to the security of technology artificial intelligence (AI)filed a lawsuit against the company claiming he was fired for raising concerns about the risks that AI poses to humanity.
Devin Kim alleges in the lawsuit filed Tuesday in California state court that his efforts to establish limits on development of the chatbot Grok made him a target of the company’s leadership.
The process was opened shortly before the company’s initial public offering of shares. SpaceXwhich is expected to be the biggest of all time, this Friday (12). SpaceX controls xAI.
“Mr. Kim repeatedly complained that xAI’s failure to prioritize AI safety, particularly with regard to Grok, virtually guaranteed that the company would commit illegal acts, from fostering discrimination to proliferating weapons of mass destruction,” the lawsuit states.
Representatives for xAI and SpaceX did not comment on the matter.
xAI and the security of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The Center for AI Safety, a nonprofit that focuses on the risks potentially posed by the technology, announced last week that it had named Kim as its president.
Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, founded xAI in 2023 stating that the company was a safer alternative to OpenAIwhich he helped found more than a decade ago. Last month, a jury rejected Musk’s lawsuit in which he claimed that OpenAI had strayed from its original mission to benefit humanity.
According to the lawsuit filed Tuesday, Kim was one of xAI’s first hires in 2024 and was promoted to a key leadership role within months of joining the company.
Kim said Musk expected xAI to implement adequate testing and security processes. But Kim’s supervisor, xAI co-founder Jimmy Ba, disregarded those guidelines and rejected Kim’s insistence on implementing security mechanisms, the suit alleges.
Kim claims that Ba abruptly fired him last September, shortly before he was to give a presentation on AI safety to the company’s leadership.
The action accuses xAI and SpaceX of retaliation and improper dismissal and seeks compensation for moral damages in an unspecified amount.
SpaceX and Musk’s other ventures, including electric vehicle maker Tesla, have been the target of safety concerns, from risks to the company’s employees to concerns about autonomous driving technology.
As of 2023, Reuters has documented at least 600 workplace accidents at SpaceX, including crushed limbs, amputations, electrocutions and one death. Some employees have attributed the problems to a lax safety culture and Musk’s belief that SpaceX is on an urgent quest to create a refuge in space from a declining Earth.
SpaceX did not comment at the time, but in court documents and elsewhere the company defended its safety record and said it offers extensive safety training.
Source: www.moneytimes.com.br
Source link
