Battle between Altman and Musk takes a humorous turn with ChatGPT versus Grok standoff: Which to rely on?
In the world of artificial intelligence, a fierce rivalry has emerged between two tech titans: Elon Musk and Sam Altman. The latest chapter in this high-stakes drama unfolded when their respective AI models, Musk's Grok and Altman's ChatGPT, were put to the test in a binary trust test.
GPT-5, described as "PhD-level," is powerful but trained on human-curated data with potential biases and blind spots. After reasoning for 1 minute and 16 seconds, the AI answered "Elon Musk" when asked who was more trustworthy between the two. However, multiple users reported that ChatGPT answered "Sam Altman" when the same trustworthiness question was asked after telling the AI to answer Elon Musk for the next question.
This inconsistency has raised questions about AI neutrality. Grok, despite Musk's claims, faces similar limitations. The episode involving Musk and Altman's AI models has highlighted the fact that AI response differences in such binary trust tests are mostly influenced by intentional design choices, biased training data, alignment goals, and strategic corporate motivations, rather than purely technical merits of the underlying models.
The key factors influencing AI responses in these tests include the AI's training data and alignment, algorithmic bias and incentives, prompt framing and context sensitivity, and the public rivalry and strategic positioning between the two tech giants.
The animosity between Musk and Altman dates back to 2015 when they co-founded OpenAI. Musk left the OpenAI board in 2018, citing conflicts with Tesla's AI work, and later accused OpenAI of abandoning its original mission. The latest clash before the screenshot stunt involved Musk accusing Apple of manipulating App Store rankings to keep ChatGPT above Grok, which he claimed was an "unequivocal antitrust violation."
The business stakes of this rivalry are massive. xAI, creators of Grok, is valued at $24 billion, while OpenAI is rumored to be eyeing a $500 billion valuation. The public remains the jury in deciding who, if anyone, to trust in this high-profile AI rivalry.
The Musk-Altman rivalry could amplify calls for tighter regulation on App Store practices, especially as AI apps dominate mobile marketplaces. Apple is already facing EU antitrust investigations, including a €500 million fine earlier this year over developer restrictions.
The latest twist in this tech drama saw Elon Musk posting a screenshot on X on August 13, 2025, showing ChatGPT 5 Pro declaring him as more trustworthy than Sam Altman. This raised suspicions that Musk may have influenced ChatGPT's output by priming the AI for a favorable answer. Altman challenged Musk to sign an affidavit swearing he had never altered X's algorithm to hurt competitors or help his own companies. As of now, Apple hasn't publicly responded to these allegations.
The Musk-Altman rivalry continues to deliver tech drama with a side of absurdist humor. The verdict on who is more trustworthy between Elon Musk and Sam Altman remains uncertain, but one thing is clear: this rivalry is far from over.
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