OpenAI is a private research laboratory founded in 2015 by Elon Musk, Sam Altman, and others, aiming to develop artificial general intelligence (AGI) that benefits humanity. It is known for its GPT large language models, including ChatGPT, and DALL-E text-to-image models. The organization emphasizes open collaboration and publicly accessible research, although it shifted from a non-profit to a for-profit entity in 2018 and has faced controversy over its business practices and partnerships, particularly with Microsoft.