Elon Musk unveiled his own artificial intelligence (AI) company, xAI, on Wednesday, positioning it as a competitor to OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. Musk criticizes ChatGPT for alleged political bias and irresponsibility.
According to the xAI website, Musk will lead the company separately from his other ventures, but the technology developed will benefit his various businesses, including Twitter. The stated objective of xAI is to comprehend the true essence of the universe and tackle life’s profound questions.
xAI has assembled a team of former researchers from reputable institutions such as OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Tesla, and the University of Toronto. The team will receive guidance from Dan Hendrycks, who presently heads the Center for AI Safety, an organization in San Francisco that cautions against hasty AI development. Hendrycks gained attention for initiating an open letter to global leaders in June, warning about the risks of AI, comparable to pandemics and nuclear warfare.
Elon Musk has consistently expressed concerns about the perils of AI, referring to it as humanity’s most significant existential threat and likening rapid progress to “summoning the demon.” He co-founded OpenAI in 2015 in response to Google’s perceived reckless pursuit of AI advancements. However, Musk departed from OpenAI in 2018 to focus on Tesla, citing discomfort with the profit-oriented direction steered by CEO Sam Altman.
Musk also asserts that OpenAI’s large language models, including ChatGPT, exhibit excessive political correctness. In April, during an interview with conservative broadcaster Fox News, he disclosed plans for a new AI tool called “TruthGPT.” Musk acknowledged the challenge of entering the AI field late but expressed determination to create a viable alternative to OpenAI and Google DeepMind.
Establishing an AI company on par with OpenAI or Google DeepMind entails significant expenses, particularly concerning the acquisition of GPUs (semiconductors) primarily manufactured by California-based Nvidia.