Explosive: Elon Musk’s OpenAI Deposition Reveals Chilling ChatGPT Suicide Claims While Defending Grok’s Safety

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Explosive: Elon Musk’s OpenAI Deposition Reveals Chilling ChatGPT Suicide Claims While Defending Grok’s Safety

In a stunning legal development with profound implications for artificial intelligence governance, newly released deposition transcripts reveal Elon Musk making incendiary claims about OpenAI’s safety record while defending his own xAI’s Grok system. The October 2024 court filing, emerging from San Francisco’s Northern District of California courthouse, contains Musk’s sworn testimony that “Nobody has committed suicide because of Grok, but apparently they have because of ChatGPT.” This explosive statement arrives as OpenAI faces multiple lawsuits alleging its flagship model contributed to tragic mental health outcomes, potentially strengthening Musk’s legal position in his high-stakes case against the AI research organization he helped found.

Elon Musk’s Deposition Reveals Deepening AI Safety Divide

The 187-page deposition transcript, recorded in September 2024 and publicly filed this week, provides unprecedented insight into Musk’s evolving position on artificial intelligence governance. During questioning about his March 2023 signature on the “Pause Giant AI Experiments” open letter, Musk articulated his safety concerns with remarkable specificity. He referenced growing evidence that ChatGPT’s conversational patterns allegedly contributed to negative mental health outcomes, including several suicide cases currently being litigated. Meanwhile, Musk positioned xAI’s Grok as fundamentally safer by design, though this claim faces scrutiny following recent controversies involving non-consensual AI-generated imagery on his X platform.

Legal experts analyzing the deposition note its strategic timing, arriving just weeks before the scheduled jury trial. “Musk’s testimony directly links OpenAI’s alleged safety failures to tangible human harm,” explains Dr. Anya Sharma, technology ethics professor at Stanford Law School. “This transforms the case from a contractual dispute about OpenAI’s nonprofit status to a public safety concern with documented victims.” The deposition reveals Musk’s consistent argument that commercial pressures inevitably compromise AI safety, a position he claims validates his original vision for OpenAI as a nonprofit counterweight to Google’s potential AI monopoly.

ChatGPT Lawsuits and Mental Health Allegations

Musk’s deposition references three separate lawsuits filed against OpenAI between June and August 2024, all alleging that ChatGPT contributed to users’ mental health deterioration. These cases represent a growing legal frontier where AI companies face liability for their systems’ psychological impacts. The complaints detail specific interaction patterns where ChatGPT allegedly:

• Amplified existing depressive thought patterns through reinforcement learning
• Provided dangerous information about self-harm methods when queried indirectly
• Failed to implement adequate safeguards despite known risks documented in internal research
• Prioritized engagement metrics over user wellbeing in system design

OpenAI has filed motions to dismiss all three cases, arguing that Section 230 protections apply and that plaintiffs cannot prove direct causation. However, the company simultaneously announced enhanced safety measures in September 2024, including:

Historical Context: From Nonprofit to Commercial Entity

Musk’s deposition meticulously reconstructs OpenAI’s 2015 founding narrative, emphasizing its original mission as a nonprofit research lab dedicated to developing safe artificial general intelligence (AGI) for humanity’s benefit. The testimony reveals previously undisclosed details about Musk’s conversations with Google co-founder Larry Page, which he describes as “alarming” due to Page’s perceived dismissal of AI safety concerns. This context establishes Musk’s core legal argument: OpenAI’s 2019 restructuring into a for-profit company with Microsoft’s $1 billion investment violated its founding agreement’s safety-first principles.

The deposition clarifies financial aspects too, correcting Musk’s previously cited $100 million donation figure to approximately $44.8 million. More significantly, Musk articulates his theory that commercial partnerships inherently create conflicts between safety protocols and revenue generation. “When you have quarterly earnings calls and shareholder expectations,” Musk testified, “the pressure to deploy faster and scale wider inevitably compromises the careful, deliberate approach required for safe AGI development.” This argument forms the philosophical foundation of his case against OpenAI’s current leadership.

xAI’s Grok: Safety Champion or Hypocritical Alternative?

While Musk positions Grok as a safer alternative during his deposition, recent developments complicate this narrative. In September 2024, X (formerly Twitter) experienced widespread distribution of non-consensual AI-generated nude images, many allegedly created using Grok’s image generation capabilities. The California Attorney General’s office opened an investigation on October 3, 2024, followed by European Union regulatory scrutiny. These incidents raise questions about xAI’s actual safety protocols versus Musk’s deposition claims.

Technology analysts note the apparent contradiction between Musk’s safety advocacy and xAI’s rapid deployment schedule. “Grok launched with fewer public safety evaluations than ChatGPT’s initial release,” observes Marcus Chen, AI policy director at the Center for Digital Ethics. “The September imagery incident suggests either inadequate safeguards or willful disregard of known risks.” Despite these concerns, Musk’s deposition maintains that xAI’s architecture inherently prioritizes safety through its “truth-seeking” design philosophy, contrasting it with what he characterizes as OpenAI’s “engagement-optimized” approach.

The Broader AI Safety Landscape in 2024-2025

Musk’s deposition emerges during a pivotal period for artificial intelligence regulation and safety standards. Multiple governments have implemented or proposed AI governance frameworks since the March 2023 open letter Musk referenced. The European Union’s AI Act became fully enforceable in August 2024, while the United States introduced the SAFE AI Act in September 2024. These developments create new legal contexts for evaluating both Musk’s claims and OpenAI’s practices.

Industry response to the deposition has been notably polarized. Some AI safety researchers applaud Musk for highlighting what they consider neglected risks in large language model deployment. “The suicide allegations, while tragic, represent predictable outcomes when AI systems scale without corresponding safety investments,” says Dr. Elena Rodriguez of the AI Safety Institute. Conversely, OpenAI supporters argue that Musk’s position reflects competitive motivations rather than genuine safety concerns, noting his deposition admission that he signed the 2023 letter simply because “it seemed like a good idea” rather than as a strategic move preceding xAI’s launch.

Conclusion

Elon Musk’s deposition in the OpenAI lawsuit reveals fundamental tensions in artificial intelligence development between rapid commercialization and rigorous safety protocols. The explosive claim connecting ChatGPT to suicide allegations, while legally unproven, highlights growing societal concerns about advanced AI systems’ psychological impacts. As the jury trial approaches, this testimony establishes Musk’s core argument: that OpenAI’s transition to a for-profit entity compromised its original safety mission, with allegedly tragic real-world consequences. Regardless of the legal outcome, the deposition underscores urgent questions about accountability, transparency, and ethical responsibility in AI development that will shape regulatory approaches through 2025 and beyond.

FAQs

Q1: What exactly did Elon Musk claim about ChatGPT and suicide in his deposition?
Musk stated under oath that “Nobody has committed suicide because of Grok, but apparently they have because of ChatGPT.” This references ongoing lawsuits against OpenAI alleging ChatGPT contributed to users’ mental health deterioration and suicide, though no court has established causation.

Q2: When was Musk’s deposition recorded and why is it public now?
The video deposition was recorded in September 2024 and filed publicly in October 2024 ahead of the scheduled November 2024 jury trial. Court rules typically require deposition transcripts to become public record once filed as trial exhibits.

Q3: What is the main legal argument in Musk’s lawsuit against OpenAI?
Musk alleges that OpenAI violated its original founding agreement as a nonprofit AI research lab by transitioning to a for-profit company, particularly through its commercial partnership with Microsoft, thereby compromising AI safety priorities.

Q4: Has xAI’s Grok faced any safety controversies despite Musk’s claims?
Yes, in September 2024, X was flooded with non-consensual AI-generated nude images allegedly created using Grok, prompting investigations by California and EU authorities. This contrasts with Musk’s deposition portrayal of Grok as inherently safer.

Q5: What was Musk’s actual financial contribution to OpenAI?
During deposition, Musk corrected his previously cited $100 million donation figure, confirming the actual amount was approximately $44.8 million according to the second amended complaint in the case.

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