July 13: Elon Musk on Wednesday announced the formation of a new company focused on artificial intelligence, after months of teasing plans to build a rival to ChatGPT.

The company, called xAI, unveiled a website and a team of a dozen staffers.

 The new company will be led by Musk, according to the website, and “will work closely with X (Twitter), Tesla, and other companies to make progress towards our mission.”

“The goal of xAI is to understand the true nature of the universe,” the website states, echoing language Musk has used before to describe his AI ambitions.

Musk was an early backer of ChatGPT-creator OpenAI, but later criticized the company for inputting safeguards that aim to prevent the viral chatbot from spewing biased or sexist responses.

Musk’s announcement of the new company comes months after he warned in an interview that he thinks AI could cause “civilization destruction” and joined other tech leaders in calling for a pause in an “out of control” AI race. (Agency)