Elon Musk is now starting a war with OpenAI, with his new launch xAI

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk on Wednesday (July 12) launched a new artificial intelligence (AI) firm called xAI. The company's primary goal is to unravel the mysteries of the universe using artificial intelligence.

xAI has assembled a team of engineers from major US technology firms, handpicked by Musk himself.

This team will play a crucial role in challenging existing AI technologies, including ChatGPT, and building an alternative solution.

The vision of xAI

Musk envisions xAI as a "maximum-truth-seeking AI" that will strive to comprehend the nature of the universe.

This suggests that xAI will focus on developing AI systems with enhanced abilities to understand and reason about complex information.

Announcing formation of @xAI to understand reality

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 12, 2023

How it works

In a recent Twitter Spaces event, Musk outlined his approach to building a safer AI. Rather than explicitly programming morality, xAI will focus on creating an AI with a high level of curiosity.

Musk believes that an AI striving to understand the true nature of the universe would prioritize human interests and contribute to humanity's betterment.

Musk also predicts that superintelligence, surpassing human capabilities, will emerge within the next five to six years.

The team

xAI's team comprises experienced engineers and researchers, including Igor Babuschkin from Google's DeepMind, Tony Wu from Google, Christian Szegedy, a former Google research scientist, and Greg Yang, previously with Microsoft, reported Reuters.

Dan Hendrycks, the director of the Center for AI Safety, will advise the xAI team, focusing on mitigating AI risks.

Finally launched https://t.co/qDiFHUDZMv!

The mathematics of deep learning is profound, beautiful, and unreasonably effective. Developing the "theory of everything" for large neural networks will be central to taking AI to the next level. Conversely, this AI will enable everyone…

— Greg Yang (@TheGregYang) July 12, 2023

The competition with OpenAI

OpenAI, a non-profit research company co-founded by Musk in 2015, has made significant advancements in AI, including the creation of ChatGPT.

While it's unclear how xAI will directly compete with OpenAI, Musk's involvement and the expertise of the xAI team in AI indicate its potential to be a major player in the field.

Potential areas of competition

xAI could differentiate itself from OpenAI in several ways:

Advanced understanding: xAI may focus on developing AI systems capable of comprehending and reasoning about intricate information.

Transparency and accountability: xAI might prioritize the development of transparent and accountable AI systems.

Alignment with human values: xAI could strive to create AI systems that align more closely with human values.

What's next?

On July 14, xAI will hold a Twitter Spaces event to further discuss their mission and goals. The startup, led by Elon Musk, operates independently from X Corp but maintains close collaborations with Twitter, Tesla, and other companies.

xAI is actively recruiting skilled engineers and researchers in the San Francisco Bay Area in US.

Bottom line

Musk's xAI venture aims to push the boundaries of AI by seeking truth and understanding in the universe.

With a vision focused on complex information processing, xAI could become a significant force in the AI landscape, challenging existing technologies and shaping the future of the field.