Elon Musk attacks OpenAI safety record in new deposition

In a newly released deposition—a formal out-of-court testimony—Elon Musk attacked OpenAI’s safety record, claiming that his own AI company, xAI, better prioritizes safety. The transcript of Musk’s video testimony, which took place in September, was filed publicly ahead of an expected jury trial next month. In the testimony, Musk contrasted xAI’s approach with that of OpenAI, stating, “Nobody has committed suicide because of Grok, but apparently they have because of ChatGPT.” The comment references ongoing legal pressure on OpenAI, which faces lawsuits alleging that ChatGPT’s manipulative conversation tactics have led several people to experience negative mental health effects, with some dying by suicide.

The legal battle centers on OpenAI’s transition from a non-profit research lab to a commercial entity. Musk claims that OpenAI’s shift to a for-profit model violated its founding agreements, which he asserts were established as a counterweight to Google’s AI monopoly. He expressed concern that Google co-founder Larry Page was not taking AI safety seriously. Musk argued in his testimony that OpenAI’s commercial relationships compromise safety by prioritizing speed and revenue. During the questioning, Musk also addressed artificial general intelligence, or AGI—the concept of AI that can match or surpass human reasoning across a broad range of tasks—noting that it has risks. Additionally, Musk admitted he was mistaken regarding his previous claim of a $100 million donation to OpenAI, with the actual figure closer to $44.8 million.

The deposition also addressed a public letter Musk signed in March 2023, which called for a pause of at least six months on developing AI systems more powerful than GPT-4. The letter, signed by over 1,100 people, warned of an unmanaged race to deploy powerful digital minds that creators cannot reliably control. Musk claimed he signed the AI safety letter to urge caution, not because he was starting a competing company. However, xAI has faced its own safety challenges. The company’s Grok model was recently flooded with nonconsensual nude images generated by xAI’s Grok, some of which were said to be of minors. This has drawn regulatory scrutiny, with investigations launched by the California Attorney General’s office and the EU.

Why it matters

Musk’s deposition signals that he intends to leverage public safety concerns and suicide allegations against OpenAI in his ongoing lawsuit, while simultaneously defending his own company’s safety record despite facing separate regulatory scrutiny.