"OpenAI, the maker of the most popular AI chatbot, used to say it aimed to build artificial intelligence that "safely benefits humanity, unconstrained by a need to generate financial return," mission statement. But the ChatGPT maker seems to no longer have the same emphasis on doing so "safely." While reviewing its latest IRS disclosure form, which was released in November 2025 and covers 2024, I noticed OpenAI had removed "safely" from its mission statement, among other changes."
"OpenAI currently faces several lawsuits related to its products' safety, making this change newsworthy. Many of the plaintiffs suing the AI company allege psychological manipulation, wrongful death, and assisted suicide, while others have filed negligence claims. As a scholar of nonprofit accountability and the governance of social enterprises, I see the deletion of the word "safely" from its mission statement as a significant shift that has largely gone unreported - outside highly specialized outlets."
"OpenAI, which also makes the Sora video artificial intelligence app, was founded as a nonprofit scientific research lab in 2015. Its original purpose was to benefit society by making its findings public and royalty-free rather than to make money. To raise the money that developing its AI models would require, OpenAI, under the leadership of CEO Sam Altman, created a for-profit subsidiary in 2019. Microsoft initially invested US$1 billion in this venture; by 2024 that sum had topped $13 billion."
OpenAI removed the word "safely" from its mission statement in an IRS disclosure form released in November 2025 covering 2024. The wording change coincided with OpenAI's transformation from a nonprofit organization into a business increasingly focused on profits. OpenAI faces several lawsuits alleging psychological manipulation, wrongful death, assisted suicide, and negligence tied to its products. OpenAI began as a nonprofit research lab in 2015 and created a for-profit subsidiary in 2019 to raise funds for model development. Microsoft invested an initial US$1 billion, growing to over US$13 billion by 2024. The change serves as a test case for societal oversight of organizations with large potential benefits and risks.
Read at Fast Company
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