// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did the Midas Project say to its budget? You're gold to me.
| Formation | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Tyler Johnston |
| Type | Watchdog organization, Nonprofit |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Website | www.themidasproject.com |
The Midas Project is an American watchdog nonprofit focused on AI safety. It was founded in 2024 by Tyler Johnston, who serves as its executive director. The organization advocates for stricter safety standards and increased transparency at artificial intelligence (AI) companies.[1]
History
[edit]In mid-2024, The Midas Project started tracking how AI companies such as OpenAI, Google and Anthropic are adjusting their policies. Updates are published on a dedicated account on the social networking site X.[2] One change tracked was Anthropic's removal of Biden-era responsible AI commitments from its website.[3]
In February 2025, the organization published the "Seoul Tracker", a website evaluating whether companies were honoring promises made at the AI Seoul Summit 2024 to adopt responsible scaling policies.[2] According to the tracker, six companies, including OpenAI, Google and Anthropic, fulfilled all their promises to varying degrees with four companies such as xAI and Meta following through with some of them and six companies, among them IBM and Samsung Electronics, implementing none of the promised measures.[4]
In June 2025, the group released "The OpenAI Files" together with The Tech Oversight Project. The document describes alleged issues with governance, leadership and safety culture at OpenAI.[5]
In July 2025, the report "How Anthropic's AI Safety Framework Misses the Mark" was published, criticizing a lack of rigor in Anthropic's responsible scaling policy.[1][6] The Midas Project also filed an IRS complaint alleging that OpenAI was undermining its nonprofit obligations with its planned restructuring.[7]
In August 2025, The Midas Project published an open letter asking OpenAI for transparency about its transition to a for-profit company.[8] The letter garnered over 10,000 signatories, among them "more than 100 prominent figures — including Nobel Prize winners, professors, and former OpenAI employees".[8][1]
In September 2025, both the nonprofit and Johnston himself were among those receiving subpoenas from OpenAI, accusing them of being funded by Elon Musk as part of the Musk v. Altman lawsuit.[1] Johnston denied the allegations, pointing to past criticism of xAI making OpenAI look "saintly in comparison".[9] He also claimed that the related news coverage led to him being denied insurance.[10][11] The subpoenas were described as overly broad and OpenAI was accused of using them to intimidate critics.[9]
In April 2026, through its publication Model Republic, The Midas Project published an investigation linking the OpenAI-affiliated super PAC network Leading the Future to The Wire By Acutus, an automated news website that allegedly used AI agents posing as human journalists to solicit interviews.[12]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 "OpenAI subpoenas another nonprofit opposed to its restructuring". The San Francisco Standard. 2025-09-03. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- 1 2 Snow, Jackie (2025-03-26). "This watchdog is tracking how AI firms are quietly backing off their safety pledges". Fast Company. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- ↑ "Anthropic quietly scrubs Biden-era responsible AI commitment from its website". ZDNET. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- ↑ "Seoul Commitment Tracker". The Midas Project. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- ↑ Nolan, Beatrice. ""The OpenAI Files" reveals deep leadership concerns about Sam Altman and safety failures within the AI lab". Fortune. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- ↑ "How Anthropic's AI Safety Framework Misses the Mark | The Midas Project". www.themidasproject.com. 2025-07-08. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- ↑ "Grok 4 is the Real Deal". The Information. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- 1 2 Field, Hayden (2025-10-20). "These nonprofits lobbied to regulate OpenAI — then the subpoenas came". The Verge. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- 1 2 "OpenAI accused of using legal tactics to silence nonprofits". NBC News. 2025-10-15. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- ↑ Wong, Matteo (2025-11-10). "The New Brutality of OpenAI". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- ↑ Landymore, Frank (2026-01-30). "OpenAI Representatives Are Going to Critics' Houses With Threats and Demands". Futurism. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- ↑ James, Luke (2026-04-28). "News site linked to OpenAI super PAC sent bots posing as journalists to interview real people — site has published nearly 100 articles with real quotes gathered by fake writers". Tom's Hardware. Retrieved 2026-07-07.