Why did OpenAI remove one crucial word from its mission statement?

OpenAI has secretly revised its mission statement by removing the term "safely" from its commitment to develop artificial intelligence that serves human needs. The change appeared in its latest IRS filing, released in November 2025 and covering 2024.

Reportedly, OpenAI is shifting from its original nonprofit research lab model to a business-orientated operational framework. The AI company faces multiple lawsuits about product safety, which makes the situation more noticeable because the company is trying to attract private funding while it works to establish itself as a worldwide leader in artificial intelligence.

OpenAI started as a nonprofit organisation in 2015 with the mission to create artificial general intelligence which would serve the public good without any need to generate revenue. 

In 2019, OpenAI established a for-profit subsidiary through which CEO Sam Altman sought to obtain funding. Microsoft invested more than $13 billion to become one of the main investors in the company.

OpenAI reached a restructuring agreement with California and Delaware regulators in October 2025. The organisation is divided into two parts, which are the OpenAI Foundation nonprofit and the OpenAI Group for-profit public benefit corporation. 

SoftBank made a $41 billion funding commitment shortly after. The restructuring process has increased OpenAI's worth beyond $500 billion because of strong competition in the artificial intelligence market.

In its 2022 IRS filings, OpenAI stated its mission was to build AI that “safely benefits humanity, unconstrained by a need to generate financial return.” In its 2024 filing, that language changed to “ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.”

The removal of “safely” and “unconstrained” has raised concerns among scholars of nonprofit governance and AI ethics. Critics argue that the wording signals a shift in priorities as OpenAI seeks more capital and prepares for potential public markets.