- Elon Musk wants to “understand the true nature of the universe.” At least that’s what his new AI company, xAI, said on its website as he announced its formation on Wednesday.
- Musk incorporated xAI in Nevada in March this year and purchased “roughly 10,000 graphics processing units”—hardware that is required to develop and run state-of-the-art AI systems.
- The company has not said how it is financed but Musk was discussing getting funding from investors in SpaceX and Tesla, two companies he runs.
In March of this year, Musk founded xAI in Nevada, reportedly acquiring around 10,000 graphics processing units necessary for cutting-edge AI development. While the company’s financing remains undisclosed, reports suggest Musk is exploring investment options from SpaceX and Tesla backers. Despite limited information on its objectives, xAI announced plans for a Twitter Spaces event on July 14, inviting questions from the public. Collaborating closely with Twitter (now known as X Corp.), Tesla, and other partners, xAI aims to advance its mission through collective efforts.
Also read: Musk postpones trip to India due to obligations at Tesla
What is X AI?
Explainable AI (XAI) refers to a collection of techniques and methodologies aimed at enabling human users to comprehend and trust the outcomes generated by machine learning algorithms. It plays a vital role in characterizing an AI model’s accuracy, fairness, transparency, and potential biases, thereby fostering trust and confidence in AI-powered decision-making processes.
As AI continues to advance, the inner workings of algorithms can often appear as “black boxes,” making it challenging for humans to understand how specific results are derived. Even the engineers and data scientists who develop these algorithms may struggle to explain the reasoning behind their outputs.
Understanding the workings of AI systems offers several benefits. It allows developers to ensure the system functions as intended, ensures compliance with regulatory requirements, and empowers stakeholders to challenge or modify outcomes. Ultimately, XAI promotes responsible AI development and fosters trust between humans and AI technologies
Also read: Elon Musk says electricity is key constraint for AI development
Journey of xAI and Musk in AI
Led by Musk, xAI boasts a team composed of former employees from esteemed AI firms like OpenAI and DeepMind, as well as talent from Microsoft and Tesla. Notably, Dan Hendrycks from the Center for AI Safety serves as an advisor, reflecting xAI’s commitment to addressing AI safety concerns. The Center for AI Safety has been outspoken about these issues, rallying support from hundreds of experts, including CEOs from leading AI companies such as DeepMind and OpenAI.
Musk did not sign the Centre for AI Safety statement, but he did sign an open letter published in March by the Future of Life Institute, which called on AI companies to “immediately pause for at least 6 months the training of AI systems more powerful than GPT-4.”
Musk played a pivotal role as one of the founding chairs of OpenAI, alongside Altman, the CEO. Together with a group of investors, including Altman, Greg Brockman, Reid Hoffman, Jessica Livingston, Peter Thiel, Amazon Web Services, Infosys, and YC Research, Musk committed $1 billion to fund OpenAI in 2015. While Musk has stated that his contribution was $100 million, he has also mentioned figures as low as half that amount.
