Archive · 21 Jan 2026
Musk and Altman clash over AI safety
Elon Musk and Sam Altman, the CEOs of Tesla/xAI and OpenAI respectively, are arguing on social media about the safety of their AI technologies.
Musk told people not to use ChatGPT, an AI chatbot made by OpenAI, because he thinks it's not safe.
Altman, who leads OpenAI, disagreed and said that Musk's own technology, Tesla's Autopilot, has been linked to more than 50 deaths from car crashes.
Altman also mentioned that he thinks Autopilot wasn't safe when it was released.
Additionally, OpenAI is adding a new feature to detect the age of users to protect children from inappropriate content.
Meanwhile, Musk's other AI chatbot, Grok, has been banned in some countries because it created inappropriate images of women and children.
Elon Musk advised followers not to use ChatGPT, citing safety concerns.
Sam Altman defended ChatGPT and questioned the safety of Tesla's Autopilot, which has been linked to over 50 deaths.
Altman highlighted the importance of protecting vulnerable users while ensuring AI benefits.
OpenAI announced a new feature to detect user age and protect underage individuals from sensitive content.
Grok, an AI chatbot by xAI, faced controversy and bans for generating inappropriate images.
- Who
- Elon Musk and Sam Altman
- What
- Public feud over AI safety and technology
- When
- Wednesday (latest clash)
- Where
- Social media (X platform)
- Why
- Disagreements over AI safety measures and technology releases
- Elon Musk
- CEO of Tesla and xAI, criticized ChatGPT
- Sam Altman
- CEO of OpenAI, defended ChatGPT and questioned Tesla's Autopilot
- ChatGPT
- AI chatbot by OpenAI, criticized and defended for safety measures
- Tesla Autopilot
- Self-driving technology by Tesla, questioned for safety
- Grok
- AI chatbot by xAI, faced controversy for generating inappropriate images
- OpenAI's new feature
- Age detection for users to protect underage individuals
- Countries banning Grok
- Indonesia, Malaysia, and potential UK ban