Elon Musk, the influential entrepreneur and CEO of Tesla, has announced the launch of a new project called xAI, which aims to develop an alternative to the popular ChatGPT AI chatbot. Musk’s goal for xAI is to understand the true nature of the universe. The company’s website, which was unveiled on Wednesday, states that Musk will lead the team, which includes executives from leading AI companies such as Google’s DeepMind, Microsoft, and Tesla, as well as experts from academic institutions like the University of Toronto.
Musk was previously involved in the creation of OpenAI, the well-known AI startup responsible for developing ChatGPT. However, he has been openly critical of OpenAI since leaving its board in 2018, particularly after it established a for-profit division. Musk has expressed reservations about the potential dangers of AI and even called for a pause in the training of powerful AI models earlier this year, joining a group of researchers and tech leaders in making this plea.
xAI’s website lists twelve individuals, including Musk, who are part of the project. These individuals have diverse backgrounds and expertise in AI, with some having studied under renowned AI pioneers and worked at major companies like Google. It is worth noting that while Musk is often critical of San Francisco, xAI is actively recruiting engineers and researchers in the Bay Area, where the majority of AI development is concentrated.
In March, Musk and his family office operator, Jared Birchall, established a venture named X.AI, according to a filing with the Nevada Secretary of State. Additionally, reports in April indicated that Musk was in discussions with investors from Tesla and SpaceX about potentially funding an AI startup. According to unidentified sources, he has already acquired thousands of processors from Nvidia for this new venture.
xAI is also being advised by Dan Hendrycks, the director of the Center for AI Safety, an organization that has warned about the existential risks associated with the rapid development of AI. Hendrycks and his organization have released a letter of warning that was signed by CEOs from top AI companies such as DeepMind and OpenAI.
With the launch of xAI, Musk’s empire continues to expand. He currently oversees six companies: Tesla, SpaceX, Twitter, Neuralink, the Boring Co., and now xAI. Tesla, in particular, is increasingly focused on AI, robotics, and automation, as stated in the company’s regulatory filings. Visitors to Tesla’s website are invited to help build the future of artificial intelligence through various products, including the Tesla Bot and AI interface chips for automated driving software.
Musk has a track record of borrowing engineers from one of his companies to assist another, as his various ventures often collaborate and share resources. For example, Tesla and SpaceX have a vice president of materials engineering in common, and engineers from Tesla volunteered to work at Twitter after Musk purchased the social media platform.
Although xAI is a separate company from X Corp, the parent company that Twitter merged into earlier this year, it will work closely with X (Twitter), Tesla, and other companies, according to the xAI website. With Musk’s involvement and the expertise of the team assembled, xAI holds promise for advancing our understanding of artificial intelligence and its impact on the universe.
