Elon Musk testifies that xAI partly used OpenAI models to train Grok through distillation

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In a California federal courtroom on April 30, Elon Musk testified under oath that xAI 'partly' used distillation techniques on OpenAI models to train its Grok chatbot. When pressed, Musk said 'it is standard practice to use other AIs to validate your AI.' The admission came during the trial where Musk is suing OpenAI, CEO Sam Altman, and Greg Brockman, alleging they breached OpenAI's original nonprofit mission by shifting to a for-profit structure. Distillation — using a larger 'teacher' model to train a smaller 'student' model — is a common industry practice, but Musk's public acknowledgment carries legal and competitive significance given his lawsuit's core claim. OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google have reportedly launched a joint initiative through the Frontier Model Forum to combat unauthorized distillation, particularly from Chinese AI labs. For AI professionals, the testimony exposes the tension between open AI development norms and the legal boundaries now being tested in court.