Elon Musk launches his AI company xAI to challenge ChatGPT
In a bold move to challenge the creators of ChatGPT, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has launched his artificial intelligence (AI) company, xAI. Citing concerns about what he considers the "awakened" ideology of OpenAI, Musk aims to pioneer a new frontier in AI research with xAI and "Announcing formation of @xAI to understand reality."
Elon Musk, also the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX and the owner of Twitter, will lead this new cutting-edge company based in the vibrant technology hub of the San Francisco Bay Area. The new startup has assembled a team of distinguished AI researchers handpicked from esteemed institutions like OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, and Tesla.
While xAI will operate independently of Twitter's parent company, X Corp, it will maintain a close collaborative relationship with X Corp. and Tesla. A company statement emphasized their shared mission to advance understanding of reality significantly. To ensure ethical practices and responsible AI development, the xAI team will be led by Dan Hendricks, the current leader of the Center for AI Security in San Francisco. This organization aims to warn against hasty advances in AI and recently spearheaded an open letter to world leaders outlining the existential risks of this technology, comparable to pandemics and nuclear war.
Elon Musk has consistently expressed concern about the potential dangers of AI, repeatedly referring to it as humanity's greatest existential threat. His cautionary statements comparing rapid AI progress to "summoning the devil" have drawn much attention. Musk also criticized what he perceives as the "awake mind virus" in society and accused OpenAI's language bot, ChatGPT, of harbouring left-wing bias and politically correct views.
It's worth noting that Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015, fueled by his belief that Google's approach to advancing AI was rash and irresponsible. However, he left OpenAI in 2018 to focus on his automotive projects with Tesla, citing his discomfort with the company's profit-focused direction under CEO Sam Altman.