Elon Musk Plans to Launch AI Startup to Compete with OpenAI
Elon Musk, the tech entrepreneur and investor behind companies like Tesla and SpaceX, is reportedly preparing to launch a new startup which will rival OpenAI, the makers of the ChatGPT artificial intelligence (AI) assistant. The news was reported in the Financial Times, which cited sources stating that Musk is already talking to investors and assembling a team of AI engineers to work on the project. The entrepreneur has previously been involved in OpenAI, which was launched in 2015 as a non-profit, though Musk left the board in 2018. His new venture comes at a time when regulators are calling for greater regulation of AI technology.
Musk Recruits AI Engineers and Talks to Investors
According to the FT, Musk is currently courting investors from his Tesla and SpaceX ventures, as well as from Twitter, in order to secure funding for his new startup. The publication also notes that Musk has secured thousands of graphics processing units from manufacturer Nvidia, which will be used to power the AI applications.
Musk Was Part of OpenAI Founding Team
Musk was one of the founders of OpenAI, and initially co-chaired the company. However, he left the board in 2018. In March 2023, he registered a company called X.AI Corp in Nevada, although it is unclear whether this is linked to his current efforts. The news of his new plan comes just weeks after a group of AI researchers and executives, including Musk himself, called for a six-month pause in developing AI systems more powerful than OpenAI's latest GPT-4 model, warning of potential risks to society.
Regulators Call for AI Regulation
OpenAI and other companies like Alphabet have been developing AI systems, despite calls from regulators for comprehensive rules to be implemented before the technology is more widely adopted. With Musk's new startup, there is the possibility that the technology will be developed in a new direction, or that it may pave the way for greater industry regulation.
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