OpenAI has updated its mission statement several times since it was founded in December 2015. Over the years, the organization has changed its structure, funding model, and legal framework. Although its core goal has consistently focused on benefiting humanity, the exact wording of its mission has evolved.
December 11, 2015: The Original Nonprofit Mission
OpenAI was officially announced on December 11, 2015, as a nonprofit artificial intelligence research organization. At the time of its founding, the organization stated that its goal was to advance digital intelligence in a way that would benefit humanity as a whole, unconstrained by the need to generate financial return.
The early mission emphasized openness, cooperation, and ensuring that artificial intelligence would serve the broader public interest rather than the interests of a small group of companies or governments. While safety was central to OpenAI’s philosophy from the beginning, the original wording focused primarily on broad benefit and independence from profit motives.
2016 to 2018: Continued Emphasis on Safety and Broad Benefit
Between 2016 and 2018, OpenAI continued operating strictly as a nonprofit organization. During this period, its mission language and official filings consistently reflected the idea that artificial intelligence, including artificial general intelligence (AGI), should benefit humanity as a whole.
In various public documents and regulatory filings, safety became more explicitly connected to its mission. The organization increasingly emphasized the importance of ensuring that advanced AI systems would be developed responsibly and that their benefits would be widely distributed.
March 2019: Introduction of the Capped-Profit Model
In March 2019, OpenAI created a new entity called OpenAI LP under a capped-profit structure. This change allowed the company to attract significant outside investment while remaining under the oversight of the original nonprofit board.
The capped-profit model limited investor returns to a predetermined multiple, reinforcing the idea that the mission would come before profit maximization. Even after this structural change, OpenAI’s mission statements continued to emphasize ensuring that AGI would safely benefit humanity.
2020 to 2023: Growth and Commercial Expansion
From 2020 through 2023, OpenAI expanded rapidly and released widely used artificial intelligence systems. During this period, the organization formed major partnerships and increased its commercial operations.
Despite these developments, its official mission continued to focus on benefiting humanity and developing AI responsibly. Safety remained an important part of its public messaging, research publications, and policy discussions, even as the company became more commercially active.
2024 to 2025: Transition Toward a Public Benefit Corporation
In 2024 and 2025, OpenAI underwent another significant restructuring. Its for-profit operations were reorganized into a public benefit corporation (PBC) structure. A public benefit corporation is designed to allow a company to pursue profit while maintaining a legally recognized public mission.
The nonprofit entity continued to play a governance role during and after this transition. Around this period, OpenAI’s publicly stated mission was described as ensuring that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity. This restructuring reflected the company’s growing scale, global influence, and increasing capital requirements.
November 2025: Removal of the Word “Safely”
In November 2025, OpenAI filed updated regulatory documents covering the 2024 fiscal year. In this filing, the mission statement was revised.
For the first time since the organization’s founding in 2015, the word “safely” was removed from the core mission description. The updated mission stated that OpenAI’s purpose is to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.
Earlier versions of the mission, including those reflected in prior filings, had included phrasing indicating that AGI should safely benefit humanity. According to reports, this change marked the sixth known revision of the mission statement over nine years.
February 23, 2026: Public Attention and Media Reports
On February 23, 2026, several major news outlets reported on the wording change. These reports noted that safety had long been a defining feature of OpenAI’s mission language.
The removal of the word “safely” drew attention because it occurred after the company transitioned further into a commercially structured organization. While the central objective of benefiting humanity remained unchanged, the revised wording led to discussion about how OpenAI balances rapid technological development, investor involvement, and long-term societal responsibility.
Final Summary
Since its founding on December 11, 2015, OpenAI’s mission statement has evolved alongside its organizational growth. The company began as a nonprofit dedicated to advancing artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity, without a focus on financial return. In March 2019, it introduced a capped-profit model, and in 2024 and 2025, it transitioned its for-profit operations into a public benefit corporation structure.
In November 2025, the word “safely” was removed from its official mission statement in a regulatory filing. As of early 2026, OpenAI’s mission is described as ensuring that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity, reflecting continuity in its overarching goal while signaling a shift in formal wording.
