Elon Musk is aiming to secure $1 billion in funding for his AI venture, xAI, which amounts to 1/44th of Twitter's valuation. An SEC filing reveals that Musk has already gathered approximately $135 million from four undisclosed investors, with the initial transaction occurring on November 29. This leaves him with a remaining goal of around $865 million.
xAI's current project is Grok, positioned as Musk's alternative to AI counterparts such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Bard, or Anthropic’s Claude. Despite being in development for just two months, Grok is set to distinguish itself by displaying a "rebellious streak" and engaging with "spicy" questions that other AI bots might shy away from. The platform is slated for a beta release soon, exclusively available to X Premium+ subscribers. A crucial factor setting the bot apart is its commitment to update with real-time knowledge posted on X. However, its success in setting itself apart from the competition will depend on its ability to discern between genuine news on X and misinformation.
While Musk was a co-founder of OpenAI, he stepped down from its board in 2018. Recent criticisms of OpenAI, particularly surrounding the dismissal and subsequent rehiring of CEO Sam Altman in November, have stirred confusion and concern in the AI industry.
Although raising an additional $865 million is no small feat, Musk's formidable position in the tech industry suggests he is up for the challenge, assuming potential investors are not dissuaded by apprehensions about his management of X.
About xAI
X.AI Corp., also known as xAI, is a U.S.-based AI startup. The company's primary objective is to comprehend the fundamental nature of the universe.
In 2015, Musk became part of the founding board of directors at the non-profit AI research organization OpenAI. Despite expressing a commitment to invest up to $1 billion in OpenAI, Musk resigned from the board in 2018 following an unsuccessful attempt to assume control of its management, stemming from a disagreement over AI safety.
Founded by Musk in Nevada on March 9, 2023, xAI later relocated its headquarters to the San Francisco Bay Area in California. Musk enlisted Igor Babuschkin, previously associated with Google's DeepMind unit, as Chief Engineer.
On July 12, 2023, Musk officially announced the establishment of xAI. He associated the date (7 + 12 + 23 = 42) with the book "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams, where a supercomputer calculates that the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything is 42. Musk linked this to the company's mission of "understanding the universe."
