Elon Musk vs Sam Altman: shocking public battle over ChatGPT and Tesla Autopilot deaths

The rivalry between Elon Musk and Sam Altman has escalated recently after Musk publicly warned people not to use ChatGPT. Musk cited links to several tragic deaths related to ChatGPT. Musk shared his comment on X (formerly Twitter), referring to a post claiming nine deaths after using ChatGPT. This includes cases of suicide among teens and adults. Nevertheless, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman backfires against all these claims and responded sharply. He highlighted that he notices contradictions in Musk’s statement rather than criticism of AI tools.

Sam Altman fires back at Elon Musk

Altman while firing back on Musk says that X-owner frequently changes his stance on AI safeguards. In his response, Altman said, Musk sometimes complains that ChatGPT is ‘too restrictive’, while in other situations, he claims that it is ‘too relaxed.’

Altman emphasized on the overall safety regarding AI usage. He says that widely used AI platforms involve balancing safety with usefulness. He further acknowledged the tragedies related to the ChatGPT and described the situations as ‘complex and deserving of respect.’ He stress that OpenAI continues to refine safety systems on its platforms for vulnerable users while still allowing people to benefit from its tools.

Altman Targets Tesla

While Altman defends ChatGPT, he targets Tesla too and shifts his discussion toward Musk’s own products. He refereed Tesla’s Autopilot system and highlights that over 50 deaths have reportedly occurred due to crashes involving the driver-assistance feature on Tesla.

Additionally, he also shared his personal experience with Tesla and says he had only ridden in a Tesla once with Autopilot and found it ‘far from safe thing for Tesla to have released.’ He briefly mentions Musk’s AI venture Grok, hinting a questionable decisions without elaboration.

How Legal Battle Escalated

The public clash came after Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI, wherein he alleges that the company abandoned its nonprofit mission and excluded him despite his early involvement. Musk is seeking damages between $79 billion and $134 billion. He further claims that his contribution lead to current value of OpenAI.

In order to support his claims, Musk engaged with economist C.Paul Wazzan, whose analysis of funding, proposed equity, and Musk’s reputation concluded he contributed 50 to 75 percent of OpenAI’s value. Nevertheless, OpenAI and Microsoft, both challenged Wazzan’s testimony and calls it a methodologically flawed and tailored to Musk’s damages claim.