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Elon Musk’s only expert witness at the OpenAI trial fears an AGI arms race

Published

2 months ago

May 4, 2026

Preport

When do we take AI doomers seriously?

That’s a key subtext of Elon Musk’s attempt to shut down OpenAI’s for-profit AI business. His attorneys argue that the organization was set up as a charity focused on AI safety, and lost its way in pursuit of lucre. To prove that, they cite old emails and statements from the organization’s founders about the need for a public-spirited counterweight to Google DeepMind.

Today, they called their only expert witness: Peter Russell, a University of California, Berkeley computer science professor who has studied AI for decades. His job was to offer background on AI, and establish that this technology is dangerous enough to worry about.

Russell co-signed an open letter in March 2023 calling for a six-month pause in AI research. In a sign of the contradictions here, Musk also signed the same letter, even as he was launching xAI, his own for-profit AI lab.

Russell told jurors and Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rodgers that there were a variety of risks associated with the development of AI, ranging from cybersecurity threats to problems with misalignment and the winner-take-all nature of developing Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). Ultimately, he said that there was a tension between the pursuit of AGI and safety.

Russell’s larger concerns about the existential threats of unconstrained AI didn’t get aired in open court after objections from OpenAI’s attorneys led the judge to limit Russell’s testimony. But Russell has long been a critic of the arms-race dynamic created by frontier labs around the globe competing to reach AGI first, and called for governments to regulate the field more tightly.

OpenAI’s attorneys spent their cross-examination establishing that Russell wasn’t directly evaluating the organization’s corporate structure or its specific safety policies.

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But this reporter (as well as the judge and the jurors) will be weighing how much value to put on the relationship between corporate greed and AI safety concerns. Virtually every one of the OpenAI founders have strenuously warned about the risks of AI, while also emphasizing the benefits, attempting to build AI as fast as possible — and hatching plans for AI-focused for-profit enterprises they would control.

From the outside, a clear issue here is the growing realization inside OpenAI after its founding that the organization simply needed more compute spend if it was to succeed. That money could only come from for-profit investors. The founding team’s fear of AGI in the hands of a single organization pushed them to seek the capital that ultimately tore the team apart, creating the arms race we know today—and bringing us to this lawsuit.

The same dynamic is already playing out at a national level: Senator Bernie Sanders’ push for a law imposing a moratorium on data center construction cites AI fears enunciated by Musk, Sam Altman, Geoffrey Hinton and others. Hoden Omar, who works at the trade organization the Center for Data Innovation, objected to Sanders citing their fears without their hopes, telling TechCrunch that “it is unclear why the public should discount everything tech billionaires say except when their words can be recruited to fill gaps in a precarious argument.”

Now, both sides of the case are asking the court to do just that: take part of Altman and Musk’s arguments seriously, but discount the parts that are less useful for their legal argument.

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Related Topics:AGI Arms Elon expert fears Musks OpenAI race trial witness

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2027: INEC, Amupitan under intense pressure from APC – ADC raises fresh alarm

Published

48 minutes ago

July 5, 2026

Preport

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC is facing mounting pressure from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, over preparations for the 2027 general elections.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, made the allegation during an interview with The Sun on Saturday.

According to Abdullahi, INEC is caught between preserving its independence and responding to political pressure from the ruling party.

“INEC is conflicted. There is tension between its desire to maintain its independence and the pressure it is facing from the ruling party. Sometimes it yields to that pressure, while at other times it tries to resist and uphold its independence,” he said.

He added that the ADC sympathises with the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, over what he described as the pressure being mounted on him, but stressed that the issue goes beyond the individual.

“We have sympathy for the INEC chairman because we understand the kind of pressure he is under. But this is not about him alone; it is about the institution of INEC.

“Politicians are not the only ones on trial. ADC is not the only party on trial, and neither is any other political party. INEC is also on trial, just as the judiciary is.

“INEC has an opportunity to demonstrate that its loyalty lies with the Nigerian Constitution and the Nigerian people. Every government eventually leaves office and is judged by history.

“History will remember Prof. Amupitan. He must decide the role he wants to play in Nigeria’s democratic history—whether he wants to be remembered with honour or with ignominy. The opportunity to make that choice is now,” Abdullahi stated.

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Coach Kuforiji Olusola Warns Flamingos Against Defensive Lapses Ahead of Benin Return Leg

Published

3 hours ago

July 5, 2026

Preport

Head Coach of Samba Tornadoes Football Club, Coach Kuforiji Olusola, has expressed concerns over the defensive performance of Nigeria’s Flamingos despite their 3-2 victory over the Benin Republic in the first leg of the final qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

Speaking with Sports247 after the thrilling encounter at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne, the experienced tactician described the result as a risky one, urging Coach Akeem Busari to address the team’s defensive weaknesses before the decisive second leg.

“It’s quite a big risk for the Flamingos with the first-leg result,” Kuforiji said. “Coach Akeem Busari needs to work more on the defensive line ahead of the second leg because conceding two goals at home could become costly.”

Nigeria had to come from behind to secure a narrow advantage after Benin’s Young Amazons took an early lead through Yenido Romaine Gandonou in the 14th minute.

The Flamingos responded positively, with Queen Joseph restoring parity in the 24th minute before Oluwakemi Adegbuyi put the hosts ahead in the 62nd minute.

However, Benin once again showed resilience as Nazifatou Dangui levelled matters ten minutes later, raising concerns over Nigeria’s defensive organisation.

Kindness Ifeanyi eventually scored the winning goal in the 75th minute to hand the Flamingos a slim 3-2 victory and a narrow advantage heading into the return fixture.

Despite praising the team’s fighting spirit and attacking quality, Kuforiji believes the two goals conceded have left the tie finely balanced.

“The Flamingos showed character to keep coming back and find the winning goal, but they must be more disciplined defensively. At this level, small mistakes can make a huge difference.”

Nigeria will now travel to Lomé, Togo, for the second leg scheduled for July 11 at the Stade de Kégué, Benin Republic’s adopted home ground.

The winner on aggregate will secure one of Africa’s coveted tickets to the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, set to take place from October 17 to November 7.

With qualification now within touching distance, all eyes will be on Coach Busari and his young side to see whether they can tighten up defensively and finish the job away from home.