Elon Musk Plans to Launch AI Rival for ChatGPT Creator OpenAI
Reports say Elon Musk, the billionaire boss of Tesla and Twitter, is planning to launch an artificial intelligence company in competition with OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. Musk is currently assembling a team of AI engineers and researchers and has been in talks with several investors for the project. This news comes as Silicon Valley continues to battle for domination in the fast-developing technology space. According to the Financial Times, a source with knowledge of the talks revealed that Musk has received investments for the project, making it a reality that has many people excited. Records show that Musk incorporated X.AI on 9 March, and he is the company’s sole director.
Musk’s move marks a shift in his focus, as only a few weeks ago, he signed a letter with more than 1,800 others demanding a six-month pause in AI research. However, with the new company, he joins other tech giants such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, as well as startups like OpenAI in the rapidly changing generative AI space.
In recent filings, Musk changed the name of Twitter to X Corp, part of his plans to launch an “everything app” branded “X”. His business portfolio includes Tesla, Twitter, SpaceX, The Boring Company tunnelling project, and neurotechnology research company Neuralink
For this new project, Musk has reportedly acquired thousands of high-powered GPU processors and recruited engineers from renowned AI labs like DeepMind. Musk’s startup is likely to aim to compete with OpenAI, which he co-founded in 2015 but later left the board after clashing with management over AI safety.
In 2019, he tweeted, “Tesla was competing for some of the same people as OpenAI & I didn’t agree with some of what OpenAI team wanted to do.” Soon after, OpenAI became a for-profit start-up and received a $1bn investment from Microsoft. However, it has since faced criticism from Musk regarding potential existential threats generative AI may pose. He is particularly concerned about models like GPT-4 from OpenAI, which he believes has the capability to spread false information and demonstrate political bias.
At present, neither OpenAI nor Musk has responded to the Financial Times or The Guardian's request for comment.
