Tesla boss and Space X founder Elon Musk recently reacted with an expression of concern after two Indian women committed suicide using ChatGPT. Two childhood friends were found dead on March 7 with anesthetic injections and syringes at their sides.
News shared by podcaster and former government efficiency adviser Katie Miller caught the attention of the billionaire. Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, shared a post on X and wrote: “Ugh.”
The 34-year-old podcaster appealed to the public to limit their loved ones’ use of the AI chatbot. Referring to X, she wrote: “Two women in India committed suicide after interacting with ChatGPT. They allegedly searched for ChatGPT on ‘how to commit suicide’, ‘how to commit suicide’ and ‘what drugs are used. Please do not allow your loved ones to use ChatGPT.'”
This response comes as Musk sued ChatGPT maker OpenAI. In the lawsuit filed against Open AI, Musk accuses CEO Sam Altman and President Greg Brockman of abandoning their nonprofit mission to keep the technology accessible and turning OpenAI into a for-profit closed source.
What role did ChatGPT play in the suicide attempt of 2 Indian women?
According to an Indian Express report, two women, aged 18 and 20, reportedly died by suicide. They were found dead in the washroom of the Swaminarayan temple in Surat’s Dindoli area. Before they committed suicide, they looked up “how to commit suicide” on their phones. A news clipping of a nurse who allegedly committed suicide in the same area using anesthetic injections was also found near their bodies.
Four bottles of anesthetic drugs, one empty syringe and three injections were found at the scene. Police suspect a common reason for their alleged deaths. Both the deceased were BCom students, the younger of whom was a first-year student at Wadia Women’s College, Athwa, while the other was a second-year student at Udhna Citizen College.
“On checking their phones, we found that they were searching ‘how to commit suicide’ on ChatGPT… We also found a news clipping about a hospital nurse who allegedly died by suicide using anesthetic injection… we have handed over their mobile phones to the forensic science laboratory. The cause of death will be known in the coming days,” the news site quoted Deputy Commissioner of Police NP Gohil as saying.
Hinting that a probe was underway, he added: “They were injecting anesthetic. When we unlocked their phones, we found their ChatGPT search history. They were looking for which drugs could be used to commit suicide. There was a screenshot in their photo gallery of a report of a woman injecting anesthetic to die by suicide.”
He further noted that a report from FSL is awaited to provide access to their WhatsApp chats for a clearer picture.
