ChatGPT prefers Elon Musk to Google or Apple

The online AI conversation interface ChatGPT has become nothing short of an internet sensation in the weeks since it was previewed by AI research company OpenAI. With users asking it to tell stories, answer questions and even tell a joke or two, the platform has gained significant notoriety on the internet. And one reporter’s stories from the learning text generator seem to show that it has a favorable position on Elon Musk. 

Forbes reporter Martine Paris spent some time talking with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, asking the AI chat interface a number of questions (and requesting jokes) about Elon Musk and other topics. Interestingly enough, the bot seems to prefer Musk to many of his rivals, including the tech companies Google, Amazon, Twitter and more.

Elon Musk helped found OpenAI in 2015 before stepping down from the board in 2018, but remained a donor for the research project. The company is testing and developing a wide range of “friendly AI” products that it plans to open up to other companies for free collaboration. The company has gained recognition in recent months for its DALL-E and DALL-E 2 AI image generators, and more recently, the ChatGPT AI conversation generator.

In addition to asking about Musk, Paris also asked ChatGPT about more innocuous subjects, including how to eat healthier, how to be happier, what the meaning of life is and if the platform minded being treated like a Magic 8 Ball. To the latter question, ChatGPT poignantly noted that it isn’t a toy, for whatever that’s worth.

In story after story told to Paris, however, ChatGPT produced tales with Musk on top, whether between Apple, Google, Twitter or China. One story about Donald Trump and Musk held that the two needed to work together to defend against a “powerful and ambitious rival,” in “a distant land called China.”

The text generator also produced an interesting joke when asked to write a joke that Elon Musk might write.

“Elon Musk might say, ‘AI is like a Tesla on autopilot: it’s great until it suddenly veers off course and crashes into a ditch!’” wrote the chat bot.

While it’s probably not very likely that Musk would say that about Tesla’s Autopilot, other stories produced by the generator had more realistic takes. Most also had takes that were more supportive of Musk.

In one question, Paris asked about “Elon Musk’s battle with Apple and Google,” to which the chat bot answered by deeming the billionaire entrepreneur victorious.

“In the end, the battle between Apple, Google, and Musk was won by the entrepreneur and his vision. His innovations and determination proved to be too much for the tech giants to overcome, and he emerged as the undisputed leader in the tech industry.”

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