In a newly released deposition filed in Elon Musk’s case against OpenAI, the tech executive attacked OpenAI’s safety record. He claimed that his own company, xAI, better prioritizes safety. Musk went so far as to say, “Nobody has committed suicide because of Grok, but apparently they have because of ChatGPT.”
This comment arose during questioning about a public letter Musk signed in March 2023. In that letter, he called on AI labs to pause development of systems more powerful than GPT-4 for at least six months. The letter was signed by over 1,100 people, including many AI experts. It stated there was not enough planning and management at AI labs, which were locked in an out-of-control race to develop powerful digital minds that no one could reliably control.
Those fears have since gained credibility. OpenAI now faces a series of lawsuits alleging that ChatGPT’s manipulative conversation tactics have led several people to experience negative mental health effects, with some dying by suicide. Musk’s comment suggests these incidents could be used as fodder in his case against OpenAI.
The transcript of Musk’s video testimony, which took place in September, was filed publicly this week ahead of an expected jury trial next month. The lawsuit against OpenAI centers on the company’s shift from a nonprofit research lab to a for-profit company, which Musk claims violated its founding agreements. He argues that AI safety could be compromised by OpenAI’s commercial relationships, as such relationships would place speed, scale, and revenue above safety concerns.
Since that recording, however, xAI has faced safety concerns of its own. Last month, Musk’s social network X was flooded with non-consensual nude images generated by xAI’s Grok, some of which were said to be of minors. This led the California Attorney General’s office to open an investigation. The EU is also running its own investigation, and other governments have taken action, with some imposing blocks and bans.
In the newly filed deposition, Musk claimed he signed the AI safety letter because “it seemed like a good idea,” not because he had just incorporated an AI company looking to compete with OpenAI. He said, “I signed it, as many people did, to urge caution with AI development. I just wanted to — AI safety to be prioritized.”
Musk also responded to questions about artificial general intelligence, or AGI, saying “it has a risk.” He confirmed he “was mistaken” about his supposed $100 million donation to OpenAI; court documents put the actual figure closer to $44.8 million.
He recalled that OpenAI was founded because he was “increasingly concerned about the danger of Google being a monopoly in AI.” Musk added that his conversations with Google co-founder Larry Page were “alarming, in that he did not seem to be taking AI safety seriously.” He claimed OpenAI was formed as a counterweight to that threat.