Musk Alleges Twitter Access, Unveils TruthGPT

Elon Musk, CEO of X (Twitter), has claimed that the U.S. government had “full access” to users’ private direct messages on the platform, saying the revelation “blew his mind.”

In an interview with Fox News, Musk said he was shocked to learn the extent of government agencies’ effective access to activity on Twitter, including private messages (DMs).

“The degree of access that government agencies had to everything going on on Twitter blew my mind,” Musk said. When asked directly whether that access extended to users’ direct messages, he replied: “Yes.”

Musk, who recently founded the artificial intelligence startup X.AI, made the remarks amid ongoing tensions surrounding his leadership of the social media platform.

Dispute with NPR

The comments follow a dispute between Musk and NPR (National Public Radio). NPR recently announced it would stop posting on Twitter after the platform labeled its account as “state-affiliated media,” a tag typically reserved for government propaganda outlets.

Following backlash, Twitter revised the label to “government-funded media.”

Karine Jean-Pierre, White House Press Secretary, stated that NPR is an independent news organization. “Anyone who follows its reporting can clearly see it is independent,” she said.

AI Risks and the Launch of “TruthGPT”

Musk also voiced renewed concern over the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, warning that it carries the potential to “destroy civilization.”

“AI is more dangerous than, say, mismanaged aircraft design or car production,” he said. “It has the potential — however small one may regard that probability — to destroy civilization.”

Since its launch in late 2022, ChatGPT has attracted more than 100 million monthly users and ignited an AI arms race between tech giants such as Microsoft and Google.

In the interview, Musk revealed plans to develop an alternative to ChatGPT, describing it as a “truth-seeking AI” aimed at understanding “the true nature of the universe.” He referred to the project as “TruthGPT.”

Musk also criticized OpenAI — in which he was an early investor — alleging that the company has trained its chatbot in a politically biased manner.

His pledge to build a rival AI system comes less than a month after he signed an open letter calling for a pause in the training of powerful AI systems, warning they pose “profound risks to society.” OpenAI’s latest model, GPT-4, has demonstrated significant new capabilities, but concerns remain about accuracy. Systems like ChatGPT and Google’s Bard have both been shown to generate confident but false information.

Growing Regulatory Scrutiny

Musk described himself as a “strong supporter” of government regulation of AI, acknowledging that the technology is potentially “more dangerous” than rockets or electric vehicles — industries in which his companies Tesla and SpaceX operate.

Tesla’s autonomous driving software has faced increasing scrutiny, with more than 360,000 vehicles recalled earlier this year over safety concerns related to crash risks.

Globally, regulators are also stepping in. China recently published draft rules indicating that generative AI systems will be subject to the same restrictions that govern the country’s internet sector. Italy became the first country to impose a nationwide ban on ChatGPT. Meanwhile, Europol has warned that the chatbot could be exploited by criminals to spread misinformation.

In the United States, the White House has sought public input on how AI should be regulated and unveiled a “Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights” last year aimed at protecting jobs and privacy.

Reports indicate that Musk is still assembling a team for his new AI venture.

Sources: The Hill; Sky News