Tesla chief and Space X founder Elon Musk recently reacted with an expression of alarm after two Indian women committed suicide with the help of ChatGPT. Two childhood friends were found dead on 7 March with anaesthesia injections and syringes by their side.
The news shared by podcaster and former Department of Government Efficiency Advisor Katie Miller caught attention of the billionaire. Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, shared the post on X and wrote, “Yikes.”
The 34-yer-old podcaster appealed to the public to restrict loved ones from using the AI chatbot. Taking to X, she wrote, “Two women in India committed suicide after interactions with ChatGPT. They had reportedly searched ChatGPT about “how to commit suicide,” “how suicide can be done,” & “which drugs are used.” Please don’t let your loved ones use ChatGPT.”
This response comes at a time, Musk sued ChatGPT maker OpenAI. In the lawsuit filed against Open AI, Musk accuses CEO Sam Altman and President Greg Brockman of abandoning their non-profit mission to keep technology accessible and turning OpenAI into a closed-source, profit-driven entity.
What role did ChatGPT play in 2 Indian women’s suicide attempt?
According to Indian Express report, two women, aged 18 and 20 allegedly died by suicide. They were found dead inside a washroom of the Swaminarayan temple in Surat’s Dindoli area. Before committing suicide, they had searched on ‘how to commit suicide’ on their phones. A news clipping of a nurse who had allegedly died by suicide in the same area using anaesthesia injections was also found near their body.
Four bottles of anaesthetic drugs, one empty syringe and three injections were found at the spot. Police suspect a common reason behind their alleged deaths. Both the deceased were BCom student, the younger one was first-year student at Wadia Women’s College, Athwa, while the other was second-year student at Udhna Citizen College.
“On checking their phones, we have found that they had searched on ChatGPT ‘how to commit suicide’… We also found a news clipping about a hospital nurse who had allegedly died by suicide using anaesthesia injection … we have handed their mobile phones to the forensic science laboratory. The cause of death will be learnt in the coming days,” the news outlet quoted Assistant Commissioner of Police N P Gohil as saying.
Suggesting that probe is underway, he added, “They injected the anaesthetic. When we unlocked their phones, we found their ChatGPT search history. They had searched for which drugs can be used for suicide. In their photo gallery, there was a screenshot of a news report of a woman injecting anaesthetic to die by suicide.”
He further noted that the FSL report is awaited which would provide access to their WhatsApp chats for a clearer picture.