OpenAI Quietly Drops "Safely" from Mission Statement

OpenAI just made a quiet change to its mission statement that speaks volumes about where artificial intelligence is heading.

The company that created ChatGPT used to promise it would build AI that "safely benefits humanity, unconstrained by a need to generate financial return." But in its latest tax filing from November 2025, one crucial word disappeared: "safely."

The timing matters. OpenAI started as a nonprofit research lab in 2015, committed to sharing its discoveries freely with the world. Founder Sam Altman and his team wanted to ensure AI development prioritized people over profits.

But building cutting-edge AI costs billions. In 2019, OpenAI created a for-profit subsidiary to attract investors. Microsoft jumped in with $1 billion initially, growing to over $13 billion by 2024.

As the money flowed in, the mission evolved. The company now faces multiple lawsuits alleging psychological harm, with some families claiming its products contributed to wrongful deaths and assisted suicide. Others have filed negligence claims.

Nonprofit experts who study accountability noticed the missing word right away, though most news outlets overlooked it. For a company developing technology that could reshape society, removing "safely" from the mission isn't just wordsmithing.

Why This Inspires

Here's what gives hope: we're having this conversation at all. A nonprofit scholar caught this change and raised the alarm. Journalists are investigating. Families are demanding accountability through the courts.

The shift from nonprofit idealism to profit-driven enterprise happens often in tech, but rarely with stakes this high. OpenAI's transformation forces us to answer a critical question: can we create systems that ensure transformative technology serves humanity first?

The fact that experts, reporters, and everyday people are paying attention means we haven't given up on that vision. We're still fighting for AI that puts safety and human wellbeing at the center, not the margins.

Every lawsuit filed, every mission statement scrutinized, every public debate about AI safety is democracy in action. Citizens are refusing to let powerful technology develop behind closed doors without accountability.

OpenAI's mission makeover might test whether AI serves society or shareholders, but the real test is whether we stay engaged enough to demand both innovation and safety. So far, we're showing up for that fight.