Elon Musk recruits team to build rival to ChatGPT

Tesla chief Elon Musk has invited AI experts to form a research laboratory to develop an alternative to the ChatGPT chatbot. The Information reports, citing people familiar with the matter.

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The billionaire has repeatedly criticised OpenAI for imposing restrictions that prevent ChatGPT from generating content that offends users. In December 2022 he suggested that the company’s technology was an example of \”to be woke AI training.\”

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The danger of training AI to be woke – in other words, lie – is deadly

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 16, 2022

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It is likely that the remarks by the Tesla chief imply a loosening of the new chatbot’s restrictions on controversial topics.

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The report says Musk has recruited researcher Igor Babushkin, who recently left Alphabet’s DeepMind AI division. He specialises in machine-learning models that use neural networks such as ChatGPT.

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Babushkin told reporters that he had discussed with the billionaire the formation of a team to study AI. However, the project remains at an early stage with no plans to develop concrete products.

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In 2015 Musk co-founded the OpenAI startup with Sam Altman, which developed ChatGPT. The entrepreneur left the company’s board in 2018, Reuters notes.

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Yet the billionaire continues to monitor the development of the neural network. In December 2022 he said that ChatGPT is ‘frighteningly good’ and concluded that ‘we are not far from dangerously strong AI’.

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ChatGPT is scary good. We are not far from dangerously strong AI.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 3, 2022

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In February, Musk warned that artificial intelligence is among humanity’s greatest risks, saying the technology should be regulated.

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In the same month he described Microsoft Bing as unsafe.