Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has launched xAI, a new artificial intelligence (AI) company with the goal of understanding reality.
The launch of xAI follows Musk’s concerns about the potential dangers of AI and his desire to create a safer alternative to existing AI systems.
Announcing formation of @xAI to understand reality
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 12, 2023
xAI, which is separate from Musk’s other businesses such as Tesla and Twitter, will work closely with them. Musk has hired researchers from top technology firms, including Google and OpenAI, to work on the project.
At the Twitter Space event, Musk explained that xAI will focus on creating “more curious” AI than explicitly programming ethics into it. He believes that an AI that tries to understand the true nature of the universe will be pro-human and less likely to cause harm.
Musk, who has previously expressed concerns about the potential dangers of AI, has predicted that superintelligence, AI smarter than humans, will arrive in the next five or six years. The xAI team consists of 11 researchers from companies such as Microsoft Research, DeepMind, OpenAI, and Google. Although the specific projects that xAI will work on were not disclosed, the company’s website says that it aims to understand the true nature of the universe.
And what are the most fundamental unknown questions?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 12, 2023
Once you know the right question to ask, the answer is often the easy part, as my hero, Douglas Adams, would say. pic.twitter.com/Bo6v8E1Ooq
xAI was launched following Musk’s desire to develop an alternative to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which he claimed had a liberal bias. He plans to build an “extremely truth-seeking AI” that aims to understand the nature of the universe. Musk’s concerns about the risks associated with AI prompted him to pause development of more powerful AI systems. His new company, xAI, seeks to address these concerns and create a safer AI.
xAI’s team includes experienced engineers and researchers from various technical institutions. The company will be advised by Dan Hendricks, director of the Center for AI Safety, who has warned about the potential dangers of AI. Musk’s new company is separate from X Corporation but will work closely with Twitter, Tesla and other companies.
