And then the lawyers kept talking about the destructive risks of AI and whether Elon Musk or OpenAI were better positioned to handle AI safety. And the judge was kind of infuriated. He said very strictly that this test is not about whether artificial intelligence has harmed humanity or not. And I thought that was a really remarkable extraordinary moment of the trial, which pointed out that even though it’s technically just about whether Elon Musk was actually duped by OpenAI, it’s also become a larger discussion about AI safety and some of the practices that labs are doing when they’re building AI.
Can you give us a peek behind the curtain at how joining this trial works?
There are a lot of journalists. It’s a very high-profile suit, so I have to get up around 4:30 in the morning and get to the Oakland Courthouse sharp at 6 to get in line. And some days, you cannot reach the courtroom even at 6 in the morning. There are a lot of photographers in front of the courthouse, especially on days when you know Musk or Altman and Brockman are there. And there are some concerned citizens who want to see a trial. I usually have to wait in line for two hours to be one of the 30 people who claim unreserved seats in the courtroom.
How did it feel to see Elon Musk testify? How would you describe his conduct?
He is seen in a black suit. He may be such an inflammatory person on the X, but in the courtroom, he looks cool, calm, collected and very comfortable. Many cases are pending against him. He knows how to talk to the jury and how to present himself to them and the judge. He is joking with his lawyer and even with the opposing side’s lawyer and the judge.
And he can be funny. This was a moment when OpenAI’s lawyers were asking Musk a question and he got an answer. And Musk said, “It’s not a major question, it’s a major answer.” The judge intervened and said, “You are not a lawyer, Elon.” And then he was like, “Okay, I took Law 101.”
That said, OpenAI gets nervous and uncomfortable when an attorney asks tough, pointed questions. Which he has been doing.
What are the biggest things we learned that weren’t obvious in the early stages of this case?
