Elon Musk unveils xAI, his new artificial intelligence startup

13 July 2023, 05:34 | Updated: 25 July 2023, 11:50

Elon Musk Artificial Intelligence
Elon Musk Artificial Intelligence. Picture: PA

Mr Musk was a co-founder and early funder of OpenAI.

Elon Musk is finally starting to talk about the artificial intelligence company he founded to compete with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.

The startup, xAI, formally launched on Wednesday and its goal “is to understand the true nature of the universe”. It has not said much more than that.

Led by Mr Musk, the billionaire chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX who also owns Twitter, the new startup centred in the San Francisco Bay Area has hired a group of top AI researchers who formerly worked at OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and Tesla.

It will be independent from Twitter’s new parent company, X Corp, but will work closely with that company, as well as Tesla, “to make progress towards our mission”, according to a statement.

Twitter EU Rules
The startup reflects Mr Musk’s long-voiced concerns about a future in which AI systems could present an existential risk to humanity(Michel Euler/AP, Pool, File)

Mr Musk was a co-founder and early funder of OpenAI, who parted ways with the San Francisco-based research lab several years ago.

He has grown increasingly critical of OpenAI as it has gained global prominence and commercial success with last year’s release of ChatGPT and solidified its financial ties to Microsoft.

The public unveiling of xAI follows comments Mr Musk made about it in April to then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

Mr Musk told Carlson that OpenAI’s popular chatbot had a liberal bias and that he planned an alternative that would be a “maximum truth-seeking AI that tries to understand the nature of the universe”.

The startup reflected Mr Musk’s long-voiced concerns about a future in which AI systems could present an existential risk to humanity.

The idea, Mr Musk told Mr Carlson, is that an AI that wants to understand humanity is less likely to destroy it.

Mr Musk was one of the tech leaders who earlier this year called for AI developers to agree to a six-month pause before building systems more powerful than OpenAI’s latest model, GPT-4.

Around the same time, he had already been working to start his own AI company, according to Nevada business records.

By Press Association

Latest World News

See more Latest World News

Debris on the ground after helicopter crash, with people looking on

Four killed as helicopter ambulance crashes on take-off in Turkey

People walking amongst rubbled and the remains of homes

Five children among 22 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza

A couple embrace in front of a sea of flowers outside a church

What is known about the German Christmas market attack and its impact

Police officer at cordon beside Christmas market stalls

German authorities were warned about Christmas market attack suspect last year

Pope Francis on large screen in front of faithful in St Peter's Square

Pope in plea for ceasefires to end ‘cruelty’ of conflicts around the world

Man checking wiring outside damaged high-rise building

Russian fuel depot hit by Ukrainian drones for second time

The nine-year-old boy killed in the attack has been pictured.

'Fly little angel': Heartbroken mum pays tribute to boy, 9, killed in German Christmas market attack

US Air Force F/A-18 fighter jet performs its solo aerobatic display at the Singapore Airshow

US military accidentally shoots down one of its own fighter jets

Clean-up truck operating in a Christmas market

Four women and boy confirmed as those killed in German Christmas market attack

Palestinians round fire in camp

Displaced Palestinians enduring winter with little protection from cold

Police outside shop building with damaged doors

Five hurt as truck being chased by police driven through department store

Hundreds gathered to pay tribute on Saturday night.

Christmas market attack suspect appears in court as Germany probes Saudi warnings

China Taiwan US

China says US ‘playing with fire’ after latest military aid for Taiwan

December 8, 2024: Tunis, Tunisia. 08 December 2024. In this photo illustration the TikTok logo is displayed on an i

Albania to ban TikTok for a year after lawmakers blame app for teen stabbing

Blake Lively looking over her shoulder as she poses for photographers in front of a giant white letters spelling out It Ends With Us

Blake Lively accuses It Ends With Us director of harassment and smear campaign

A view of the TikTok app logo

Albania to ban TikTok for a year amid claims it promotes violence among children