Elon Musk announces new AI start-up. Musk’s new venture, xAI, aims to develop a safe AI system driven by curiosity about humanity rather than pre-programmed moral guidelines.
Speaking during a Twitter Spaces discussion introducing xAI, Musk stressed the need to address AI safety by creating an AI that actively seeks to comprehend the universe, asserting that such an approach would inherently support humanity.
Musk, among the signatories of a recent letter calling for a pause in the development of large AI models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT due to concerns about AI technology advancing beyond human control, noted that pausing AI development might no longer be a practical option. He expressed his hope that xAI could provide an alternative route.
Elon Musk, who also owns Twitter, outlined two potential scenarios for the rise of artificial general intelligence: a positive outcome leading to abundance in goods and services, and a darker scenario akin to the AI-powered destruction depicted in the Terminator films. He underscored the importance of addressing the latter to prevent it from becoming a reality. He also mentioned that superintelligent AI, surpassing human capabilities, could arrive sooner than expected, possibly within five to six years.
While acknowledging that it will take time for xAI to reach the level of OpenAI and Google, Musk affirmed the startup’s commitment to developing AI responsibly.