Inside the Battle Over OpenAI’s Corporate Restructuring

Orson Aguilar is one of the leading voices battling OpenAI ’s future and the establishment of what may become the deepest-pocketed charitable foundation in the world.

A group of tech industry heavyweights, including Elon Musk and Sam Altman , cofounded OpenAI as a nonprofit in 2015 with the goal of countering existing AI projects run by big, profit-driven companies.

Musk lost a preliminary bid in federal court last month to block OpenAI from transitioning to a public-benefit corporation.

A coalition of community groups is trying to influence the future of one of the hottest tech companies in the world.

The group is concerned that OpenAI ’s plans could threaten the integrity of the nonprofit sector as a whole.

The coalition urged California attorney general Rob Bonta to carefully review the OpenAI conversion and launched a campaign in January to attract public attention.

The commission is supposed to come up with recommendations for how OpenAI can help ensure everyone has the opportunity to benefit from AI tools.

The commission includes veteran political adviser Jack Oliver , former media executive Monica Lozano , and 95-year-old labor activist Huerta .

Whether the commission ultimately tackles concerns raised by activists remains unclear.