Tesla CEO Elon Musk is reportedly planning to launch a new artificial intelligence (AI) startup that will compete with OpenAI, according to a report by the Financial Times on Friday. Sources familiar with the matter told the publication that Musk has been building a team of researchers and engineers, and has been in talks with multiple investors to back his new venture.
Musk, who is also the CEO of SpaceX and Twitter, has reportedly been recruiting talent from other top AI firms, including Alphabet-owned DeepMind. The report stated that Musk has secured thousands of Nvidia GPU processors, which are integral in building a large language model (LLM) to compete with OpenAI’s GPT. In a recent interview with the BBC, Musk confirmed that he was acquiring these processors for his companies, Tesla and Twitter.
This is not Musk’s first foray into the world of AI. He was previously a major financial backer at OpenAI, committing $1 billion over multiple years. However, Musk backed out of his financial and operational commitments to the artificial intelligence firm at the same time OpenAI added a for-profit business segment. Microsoft invested $1 billion in OpenAI shortly after Musk’s departure and, earlier this year, committed to a new multibillion-dollar investment.
Musk has been a vocal critic of OpenAI’s approach to AI research and has publicly expressed concerns about the risks posed by AI. In March, he signed an open letter calling for an immediate six-month-long halt on any research on AI models more advanced than OpenAI’s GPT-4.
Musk’s reported venture will be joining an increasingly crowded space in the AI industry. Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are among the companies investing heavily in AI research, with Amazon announcing on Thursday that it is entering the generative AI space.
It remains to be seen how Musk’s new startup will fare in the highly competitive AI market, but the Tesla CEO’s track record of success in multiple industries suggests that he may have what it takes to make a significant impact in this field. With the backing of investors and access to cutting-edge technology, Musk’s new venture is sure to attract attention and may well prove to be a disruptive force in the world of AI.
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