Elon Musk's Newly Incorporated AI Company Has A Familiar Name

Elon Musk has registered the company that will focus on building a rival to OpenAI's ChatGPT — and its name may be familiar to some. According to the Wall Street Journal, Musk filed the papers for a company named X.AI in Nevada in March 2023. This information fits with recent reports that the billionaire plans to create his own alternative to ChatGPT and explains his recent mass GPU purchases. While Musk himself hasn't announced why he purchased thousands of GPUs, it is worth noting that these computer parts are required to both train and power LLM AIs.

Musk's relationship with the company that created ChatGPT, OpenAI — and the AI industry in general — is complex. The tech entrepreneur was one of OpenAI's early investors, pumping around $100 million into the company back when it was an AI research focused non-profit. Musk ended his involvement with OpenAI after he allegedly tried to take a more hands-on role at the company and was knocked back. 

Beyond that, Musk has long warned about the dangers the concept poses to humanity. He recently joined other key figures in tech in calling for a six-month pause on AI research while legislation is put into place. Prior to this, he has singled out AI as the biggest threat to human existence, claimed AI-related disaster is almost inevitable, and suggested the programs could be a bigger threat to the world than nuclear weapons.

When it comes to Musk's businesses, the letter X crops up a lot. The most obvious example is Space X, but the letter is also the name Musk has given to his proposed "everything app." While details of what the app will be able to do are pretty scarce, it is possible to make an educated guess about some of the features.

Social media network Twitter, which cost Musk $44 billion late last year, is expected to be central to Musk's new app. In addition to posting and browsing on the social media site, users may also be able to use the app to chat with and video call friends. Payments services could be integrated and — knowing Musk — they may also be able to do something with cryptocurrency. Musk's companies' products are also likely to feature on the app. The current Tesla app is a powerful tool for vehicle owners and can be used to unlock, update, and manage their cars. Some of Starlink's functions are also app-based. 

Given its dynamic nature, AI has the ability to slip seamlessly into an "everything app." It will be particularly useful if the app has search engine-like functions. Microsoft is already using a version of ChatGPT in its new version of the Bing search engine, while Google has launched a beta version of Bard in an attempt to keep pace with its rivals.