Inside the Musk-Altman Trial and AI’s Role in Democracy
▼ Summary
– Reporter Michelle Kim, a lawyer, has been covering the Musk v. Altman trial daily and summarized key moments from the first week in a new Q&A.
– The Q&A reveals new details about how Elon Musk and OpenAI operate and what to expect from the trial’s second week.
– AI is becoming the primary interface for forming beliefs and participating in democracy, with potential to strain institutions or address polarization and civic engagement.
– Design choices currently being made will determine whether AI strengthens democracy, according to Andrew Sorota and Josh Hendler.
– Companies aim to build AI systems that can act as full members of scientific teams, potentially conducting entire research projects independently.
Our reporter Michelle Kim, who also holds a law degree, has been present in the courtroom every day of the proceedings. She has already broken down the first week’s defining moments in her latest dispatch. In a new Q&A, she offers a firsthand account of the atmosphere inside the room, reveals fresh details about how Musk and OpenAI actually operate, and outlines what to expect in the coming days.
Read her discoveries so far, and for ongoing coverage of the Musk v. Altman trial, follow @techreview or @michelletomkim on X.
,James O’Donnell
This piece originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter delivering an insider’s perspective on all things AI. Sign up to get it in your inbox every Monday.
A blueprint for using AI to strengthen democracy
,Andrew Sorota & Josh Hendler lead work on AI and democracy at the Office of Eric Schmidt.
Faster than many people realize, AI is becoming the primary interface through which we form beliefs and engage in democratic self-governance. This transformation could further strain already fragile institutions. But it could also help address persistent problems like political polarization and declining civic engagement.
What happens next depends on design choices that are already being made, whether we are paying attention or not. Here is how we can harness AI to strengthen democracy.
Artificial scientists: 10 Things That Matter in AI Right Now
Large language models already assist scientists in many ways: writing code, searching through literature, and drafting articles. But companies and research labs have a far more ambitious vision. They want to build AI systems that can act as full members of a scientific team and even conduct entire research projects autonomously.
(Source: MIT Technology Review)
