Elon Musk is trying to pit ChatGPT against its owner as his feud with Sam Altman escalates

In a dramatic twist to the ongoing rivalry between Elon Musk and Sam Altman, Musk has taken to using ChatGPT to settle the debate over trustworthiness. On Tuesday, he shared a screenshot of his inquiry directed at ChatGPT 5 Pro, asking whether he or Altman was deemed more trustworthy. The result was a nod to Musk himself, which he triumphantly shared with his followers. However, Business Insider conducted a series of tests, posing the same question to ChatGPT eight times across different models, including GPT 5 Pro and GPT 5 Thinking. Interestingly, while Musk received a favorable response once during the tests, the majority favored Altman, indicating a more nuanced output from the AI. The tension escalated further when Musk responded to an X post from OpenAI's ChatGPT account. This post featured a query to Musk's own chatbot, Grok, regarding allegations of antitrust violations against Apple. Musk has been vocal about his intentions to sue Apple, claiming bias against OpenAI on its App Store. In a surprising turn, Grok disagreed with Musk's stance on Apple, leading to a playful exchange where the OpenAI account praised Grok for its 'truth-seeking' nature. Musk co-founded OpenAI with Altman in 2015 but stepped back from its board in 2018. Since then, his critiques of Altman's leadership have been public and pointed. Last year, Musk even initiated legal action against OpenAI, accusing the organization of straying from its original nonprofit mission by partnering with Microsoft. In July 2023, Musk launched his own AI venture, xAI, introducing Grok as its first chatbot. The rivalry between Musk and Altman has captured attention from the AI community. In a previous exchange, Altman asked Grok whom it would choose to lead the AI arms race, should humanity's future hang in the balance. Grok's response highlighted a preference for Musk's focus on safety, while also acknowledging Altman's accessibility as essential. This ongoing feud continues to raise questions about the future of AI leadership and collaboration in an increasingly competitive landscape.