Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has recently announced the launch of a new artificial intelligence startup called xAI. The company comprises a team of engineers with previous experience at renowned companies like OpenAI and Google. Musk, who has previously expressed concerns about AI development and emphasized the need for regulation in the field, stated that the purpose of the startup is to gain a better understanding of reality.
Details regarding the funding, specific objectives, and focus of xAI on artificial intelligence remain unclear at this point. However, the company’s website states that its goal is to comprehend the true essence of the universe. To shed more light on its aims, xAI will be hosting a Twitter Spaces chat on Friday.
Announcing formation of @xAI to understand reality
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 12, 2023
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Elon Musk’s tryst with AI
Elon Musk was one of the original supporters of OpenAI, the organization behind the widely used language model ChatGPT, which has garnered attention and generated controversy for its role in assisting students with their homework.
Nonetheless, Musk’s relationship with the company has deteriorated, as he has criticized ChatGPT for its perceived liberal bias. In February, he expressed his desire for a model like “TruthGPT” and voiced concerns about the operations and close ties between ChatGPT and Microsoft.
In March, Musk signed an open letter advocating for a pause in “Giant AI Experiments,” which has gained approximately 33,000 signatures to date. In an interview with the BBC in April, he revealed that he has been concerned about AI safety for more than a decade and advocated for the establishment of a regulatory body to oversee AI and ensure public safety.
Musk at odds with how others are developing AI
Musk has also been at odds with AI companies regarding the use of data to train chatbots. He believes that these companies scrape massive amounts of data, including from platforms like Twitter, and argues that they should be fairly compensated for their data usage.
Elon Musk has consistently voiced his concerns about the potential dangers of uncontrolled AI development and has called for caution and regulation in the field. To address these concerns, the newly established xAI has adopted a unique approach to ensure the safety of its AI systems.
xAI’s objective
During a recent Twitter Spaces event, Musk outlined his strategy for developing a safer AI. Instead of relying on explicit programming of morality, xAI aims to create an AI that is “maximally curious.” Musk believes that by encouraging AI to deeply understand the fundamental nature of the universe, it will naturally prioritize actions that benefit humanity. He emphasized the inherent value and fascination of human life, considering it to be of utmost importance.
“If it tried to understand the true nature of the universe, that’s actually the best thing that I can come up with from an AI safety standpoint. I think it is going to be pro-humanity from the standpoint that humanity is just much more interesting than not-humanity,” Musk said.
Furthermore, Musk predicted that superintelligence, which refers to AI surpassing human intelligence, could emerge within the next five to six years. This projection underscores his sense of urgency in developing responsible and beneficial AI systems to ensure that the technology has a positive impact on society.
