Elon Musk, Meta AI Chief Yann LeCun Have A Public Spat — Again ...
CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk, has been making efforts to attract AI professionals to his company, xAI. However, these efforts have been met with criticism from Meta Platforms Inc.'s AI chief, Yann LeCun, resulting in a renewed clash between the two tech giants.
What Happened
On a recent occasion, Musk promoted xAI on social media, highlighting the company's mission to understand the universe and the value of seeking truth. In response, LeCun, known for his previous disagreements with Musk, made a sarcastic remark.
When questioned about his disagreements with Musk, LeCun expressed admiration for Musk's technological innovations but criticized his political views, promotion of conspiracy theories, and excessive hype. The exchange continued with Musk questioning LeCun's recent scientific contributions, to which LeCun responded by citing over 80 technical papers published since January 2022. Musk dismissed LeCun's work as "soft."
Why It Matters
This public disagreement is not new, as Musk and LeCun have clashed before, particularly regarding their views on AI. LeCun has challenged Musk's statements about the potential of AI surpassing human intelligence. In a recent incident, Musk ridiculed LeCun's opinion on the timing of AI regulation, asserting that regulations are imminent.
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On the same day as the public spat, xAI, led by Musk, successfully raised $6 billion in Series B funding, boosting its valuation to $24 billion. This funding round positioned xAI as one of the most valuable AI startups globally. Notably, xAI's primary product, a chatbot named Grok, was trained using data from Musk's social media posts.
Despite their differences, both Musk and LeCun continue to make significant strides in the AI industry, with their respective companies gaining attention and investment.
