Elon Musk plans AI start-up to rival OpenAI: Report

Billionaire Elon Musk is working on launching an artificial intelligence start-up that will rival ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, the Financial Times reported on Friday (Apr 14), citing people familiar with his plans.

Twitter owner Musk is assembling a team of AI researchers and engineers, according to the FT report, and is also in discussions with some investors in SpaceX and Tesla about putting money into his new venture.

Musk's plan for the firm comes weeks after a group of AI researchers and executives, including himself, called for a six-month pause in developing systems more powerful than OpenAI's GPT-4, citing potential risks to society.

Companies from Microsoft to Alphabet are pushing to incorporate generative AI, the technology behind chatbot sensation ChatGPT, into their offerings.

However, ChatGPT is facing pushback as regulators call for well-defined rules ahead of its mass adoption.

Italy has banned ChatGPT over privacy issues, while a European privacy watchdog created a task force in a first step towards a common policy for AI.

Meanwhile, United States Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has launched an effort to establish rules on AI technologies to address national security and education concerns. 

Musk has secured thousands of graphic processor units, systems that power high-powered computing required for tasks such as AI and high-end graphics, the Business Insider reported earlier this week.

These graphic processor units were secured from Nvidia, according to the FT report. The chip company declined to comment on its dealings with Musk and its shares gained about 1 per cent on the news.

It is not clear what Musk's firm might potentially offer in terms of services. Musk did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Musk is one of the co-founders of OpenAI, which was started as a non-profit organisation in 2015. He stepped down from the company's board in 2018.