Musk-Altman Feud Escalates Over AI Safety and Autopilot Risks
Elon Musk ignited a public spat with Sam Altman by warning against ChatGPT use on X, citing alleged links to nine deaths since 2022. The OpenAI CEO fired back by questioning Tesla’s Autopilot safety—a rare direct clash between two tech titans wrestling with life-and-death implications of their technologies.
Musk’s post drew immediate scrutiny given Tesla’s own legal battles. At least eight wrongful-death lawsuits target OpenAI, while Tesla faces multiple Autopilot-related cases—including one with a $329 million jury verdict. The exchange highlights growing regulatory pressure on AI and autonomous systems as adoption surges.
Altman defended ChatGPT’s safeguards but acknowledged the paradox of AI safety: "We’re criticized for being both too restrictive and too permissive." His counterpunch—recalling discomfort using Tesla’s Autopilot—landed as both companies face existential questions about product liability in the algorithm age.