A recent exercise involved asking several leading AI chatbots to choose between Sam Altman and Elon Musk to lead the advancement of AI, with the future of humanity at stake. This query, initially posed by Altman to Grok, resulted in Grok favoring Musk due to his emphasis on safety. However, when the same question was presented to other chatbots including ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, Gemini, Meta AI, and Perplexity, Altman was favored by a score of 6-1.

The rationale behind Altman's favorability stemmed from his established track record in advancing AI and his collaborative approach, which was seen as preferable to Musk's sometimes confrontational methods. While most chatbots acknowledged the strengths of both leaders and suggested that collaboration would be the ideal outcome, they leaned towards Altman when forced to choose.

ChatGPT sided with Altman, citing his focus on safety, alignment, and global benefit, while acknowledging Musk's visionary status but noting his tendency to act unilaterally and impulsively. Claude highlighted Altman's focus on building safe and accessible AI, while also recognizing Musk's innovative drive and emphasis on the long-term future of humanity. Copilot, after initially advocating for collaboration, ultimately prioritized ethical and responsible AI development, leaning toward Altman due to his commitment to AI alignment and accessibility.

Gemini also initially suggested collaboration but leaned towards Altman when forced to choose, citing Musk's unpredictable behavior and history of public disputes as potential drawbacks. Grok, as expected, chose Musk, emphasizing his focus on first-principles thinking and long-term survival. Meta AI leaned towards Altman, considering his practical achievements in AI development and his collaborative approach. Perplexity provided a detailed comparison of the two leaders' AI philosophies before ultimately selecting Altman as the stronger choice, while acknowledging Musk's cautionary stance and technical ambition as an essential counterbalance.

Following Altman's initial query, another user on X inquired about the likelihood of Altman and Musk becoming best friends. Grok estimated the chances at a mere 1%, citing their competitive relationship, public feuds, and legal battles. The other bots provided similar estimates, with Gemini being the most optimistic, suggesting a 20% chance, while Copilot humorously compared the odds to "snowball's chance in a volcano."