Elon Musk, CEO of Twitter and electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Tesla, is reportedly planning to launch a new artificial intelligence (AI) startup aimed at competing with Microsoft-backed OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard. As a pioneer in technology and entrepreneurship, Musk’s new venture, X.AI Corp, will surely challenge the current state of AI.
Also Read: Google VS Microsoft: The Battle of AI Innovation
X.AI Corp: A New Challenger in AI
The Wall Street Journal reports that on March 9, 2023, Musk formed a new company named X.AI Corp, with its headquarters located in Nevada, Texas. While Musk is the only listed director, Jared Birchall, Director of Musk’s family office, has been appointed Company Secretary. X.AI Corp has authorized the sale of 100 million (10 crores) shares for the private company.
Securing Funding and Resources
Musk is currently in talks with several investors from his other companies, SpaceX and Tesla. This collaboration could provide substantial funding and resources for the development of X.AI Corp. In addition, Musk has managed to secure thousands of high-powered Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) processors from Nvidia, a leader in the field of GPU technology. These processors are essential for AI and machine learning applications, making this acquisition a significant step in the startup’s development.
Forming a New AI Lab
According to a report by US-based tech news platform The Information, Musk has reached out to several AI researchers to form a new lab focused on developing an alternative to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Among those approachers is Igor Babuschkin, a researcher who recently left Alphabet’s DeepMind AI unit. Babuschkin specializes in the machine-learning models that power chatbots like ChatGPT, making his expertise valuable to Musk’s new venture.
Also Read: Elon Musk’s Urgent Warning, Demands Pause on AI Research
Competing with OpenAI
Musk has a history with OpenAI, having co-founded the organization in 2015 as a non-profit company. He initially invested $100 million in the company but resigned from its board in 2018 due to disagreements over AI safety and other issues. Despite his investment, Musk has criticized OpenAI on multiple occasions in recent years.
The new venture, X.AI Corp, provides Musk with an opportunity to compete with OpenAI and address his concerns about the direction the organization is heading in. This rivalry could lead to significant advancements in AI safety and technology.
Integration with Twitter and X Corp.
As stated in recent court filings, “Twitter, Inc. has been merged into X Corp. and no longer exists.” X Corp., a privately held corporation, is the parent company of X Holdings Corp. No publicly traded corporation owns 10% or more of X Corp. or X Holdings Corp.
Also Read: Elon Musk’s AI Paradox: Investing in AI Research After Calling for Pause
Musk confirmed the change in a tweet stating, “X.” He previously acquired the X.com domain, which he founded in 1999 and eventually became PayPal. In October 2022, Musk tweeted that buying Twitter would act as an accelerant to creating X, the “everything app.” He estimated that Twitter could accelerate the development of X by three to five years.
Our Say
Elon Musk’s entry into the AI industry with X.AI Corp is making waves in the current landscape, dominated by OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard. His expertise, connections, and resources could propel X.AI Corp to become a major player in AI development, providing an alternative to the existing solutions and addressing Musk’s concerns about AI safety. With Musk at the helm, the future of AI is bound to be an exciting and transformative journey. Keep following Analytics Vidhya Blogs to star updated with the world of AI!
Sabreena Basheer is an architect-turned-writer who's passionate about documenting anything that interests her. She's currently exploring the world of AI and Data Science as a Content Manager at Analytics Vidhya.
