Musk Tells Carlson He Wants To Create AI Rival

Second part of the interview airs Tuesday night

Elon Musk wants to create a rival to artificial intelligence phenom ChatGPT. In an interview with Tucker Carlson on Monday, Musk confirmed that he has plans to create a “third option” in the AI race between Microsoft Corp.-backed OpenAI and Alphabet Inc.’s Google and DeepMind.

Bloomberg reports the Tesla Inc. chief and owner of Twitter confirmed he intends to get involved in the AI race sparked by OpenAI’s intelligent chatbot. Seeing Microsoft and Google as “the two heavyweights” leading the pack presently, Musk offered that he would “create a third option.” He did not volunteer details on the advanced AI system he would seek to create.

In March, Musk incorporated a new artificial intelligence company called X.AI in the state of Nevada, according to state filings. That same month, he also signed an open letter, along with hundreds of other tech luminaries, urging a six-month pause in the development and training of advanced AI models. Musk has been a vocal critic of other AI companies, including OpenAI, which he played a role in founding.

The new AI company could be part of his plans to build an everything app called X. Musk has merged Twitter into a company named X Corp., and in another recent interview urged listeners to “stay tuned” for more on that front. He also confirmed an earlier report about slashing the valuation of Twitter since his takeover last year.

“We just revalued the company at less than half the acquisition price,” he told Carlson. Musk took Twitter private in a $44 billion deal and The Information recently said he’d offered Twitter employees new equity grants valuing the company at $20 billion.

During Monday’s interview, Musk expressed concern about the control and influence that Microsoft has over OpenAI, and the startup’s transition away from being a nonprofit operation.

He also said he was worried that chatbots had become too politically correct, and that his AI company would focus on truth and trying to “understand the nature of the universe.”