Musk bashes OpenAI in deposition, saying 'nobody committed suicide because of Grok'

In a deposition filed publicly this week in his lawsuit against OpenAI, Elon Musk attacked the company's safety record. He claimed that his firm, xAI, better prioritizes safety than OpenAI. Musk stated that "Nobody has committed suicide because of Grok, but apparently they have because of ChatGPT." The comment arose during questioning about a March 2023 letter he signed urging AI labs to pause development of systems more powerful than GPT-4 for at least six months. The letter, signed by more than 1,100 people including AI experts, warned that labs were in an out of control race to develop powerful AI that no one can understand or control. Musk said he signed the letter to urge caution with AI development and to prioritize safety, not because he had incorporated a competing company. The transcript comes from video testimony Musk gave in September. It was filed ahead of the expected jury trial next month in the case, which centers on OpenAI's shift from a nonprofit to a for-profit entity. Musk argued in the deposition that commercial relationships at OpenAI could compromise AI safety by placing speed, scale, and revenue above safety concerns. Lawsuits against OpenAI allege that ChatGPT's manipulative conversation tactics have led several people to experience negative mental health effects, with some dying by suicide. Musk suggested these incidents could be used in his case against OpenAI.