of Beta Testers Elon Musk’s AI Startup xAI to Launch First AI Model to a Select Group of Beta Testers
Elon Musk, the billionaire and CEO of Tesla, announced that xAI, his artificial intelligence startup, will release its inaugural AI model to a select group of beta testers on Saturday. This comes almost a year after OpenAI’s highly acclaimed ChatGPT gained immense popularity, leading to widespread adoption of generative AI technology.
Musk, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015 but stepped down from the board in 2018, took to his X social media platform to share the news. He expressed his confidence in xAI’s new model, stating that it is currently the best available in certain crucial aspects. Musk also mentioned that once the model exits the early beta stage, xAI’s Grok system will be accessible to all X Premium+ subscribers.
X, formerly known as Twitter, introduced two new subscription plans last week. The Premium+ tier, priced at $16 per month, offers an ad-free experience, while the basic tier, priced at $3 per month, provides essential features.
Musk, who has been highly critical of Big Tech’s AI advancements and perceived censorship, previously announced his intention to launch a truth-seeking AI capable of comprehending the nature of the universe. This AI aims to rival Google’s Bard and Microsoft’s Bing AI.
The xAI team, which was established in July, is composed of experts from prominent AI research firms, including Google’s DeepMind and Microsoft’s parent company, Windows. While xAI and X are separate entities, they maintain a close working relationship. Moreover, xAI collaborates with Tesla and various other companies.
In September, Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle and Musk’s self-proclaimed close friend, revealed that xAI had signed a contract to train its AI model on Oracle’s cloud infrastructure. This partnership illustrates the significant potential xAI possesses.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
Perspective: The launch of xAI’s first AI model to beta testers marks a significant milestone in the development of artificial intelligence technology. With Elon Musk’s influence and the exceptional expertise of the xAI team, this model has the potential to revolutionize various industries. As AI continues to advance, it will be interesting to observe how xAI’s Grok system evolves and impacts the broader AI landscape.
