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Elon Musk launches xAI: A New Venture in Artificial Intelligence with a Focus on Understanding Reality

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s latest venture, xAI, has officially launched as an artificial intelligence (AI) startup. The company’s website reveals a team of engineers with experience at prominent tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI, with Musk leading the way. Musk, who is the CEO of Tesla and owner of Twitter, has repeatedly expressed his belief that AI development should be halted and regulated.

Musk took to Twitter to announce the formation of xAI, stating, “Announcing formation of xAI to understand reality.” The company has scheduled a Twitter Spaces event on July 14 to engage with the public.

Also Read: Elon Musk’s xAI Emerges as a Promising AI Contender with Website Launch

In March, Musk registered a company called X.AI Corp in Nevada, where he serves as the sole director. Jared Birchall, the managing director of Musk’s family office, is listed as the secretary of the company.

xAI’s website features an application form for individuals interested in joining the startup. The current team members claim previous experience at renowned organizations such as DeepMind, OpenAI, Google Research, Microsoft Research, Tesla, and the University of Toronto.

Back in April, Musk expressed his intention to develop a “truth-seeking AI” that diverges from political correctness, positioning it as a competitor to Microsoft’s OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard. However, he has also emphasized concerns about the potential detrimental effects of AI, referring to it as a threat to civilization.

In a separate move, Musk merged Twitter with a newly created “X” shell company, while retaining the original brand name for the platform.

Also Read: Top 20 Key AI Marketing Statistics You Need to Know to Leverage Your Marketing Strategy

Five Key Points to Know About xAI

Here are five key points to know about xAI:

xAI Stands for Explainable AI or Interpretable AI

xAI stands for Explainable AI or Interpretable AI, focusing on facilitating human understanding of AI’s decision-making processes. However, neither Musk nor the company has provided explicit details about its intended meaning. To address inquiries about the company and its vision, the team plans to host a Twitter Spaces event on July 14.

xAI was Registered in Nevada

According to The Verge, xAI was registered in Nevada in April. At that time, Elon Musk was listed as the director, and Jared Birchall, the director of Musk’s family office, served as the secretar

xAI Acquired 10,000 Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) in March

Time Magazine reported that xAI acquired 10,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) in March. These hardware components are essential for developing and operating advanced AI systems. While xAI has not disclosed its financing details, the Financial Times revealed in April that Musk was exploring funding opportunities from investors in SpaceX and Tesla, two companies under his leadership.

Separate Entity From Musk’s Twitter (now known as X Corp)

The xAI website clarifies that it is a separate entity from Musk’s Twitter (now known as X Corp) but will maintain close collaboration with Tesla and other affiliated companies.

Also Read: Three Ways AI Could Improve the World: ‘We Can Cure Diseases, Stabilize Our Climate, Halt Poverty’

xAI Website Lists Individuals with Experience at Influential AI Organizations

In addition to Musk, the xAI website lists several individuals as part of the team, including Igor Babuschkin, Manuel Kroiss, Yuhuai Wu, Christian Szegedy, Jimmy Ba, Toby Pohlen, Ross Nordeen, Kyle Kosic, Greg Yang, Guodong Zhang, and Zihang Dai. xAI’s team currently receives guidance from Dan Hendrycks, a researcher who leads the Centre for AI Safety, an organization based in San Francisco that advocates for responsible AI development, cautioning against haste in the field.