Elon Musk announced on Fox News’s “Tucker Carlson Tonight” that he plans on building a new AI initiative that he’s calling ‘TruthGPT’, one that he vows isn’t trained to lie.
This comes after Musk abandoned OpenAI, the parent company of ChatGPT he helped to create, after news that Microsoft partnered up with OpenAI and invested in the initiative in January 2023.
The serial entrepreneur has not hidden his feelings concerning the multibillion-dollar investment. He stated in a Tweet that he worries the move “[Is making OpenAI] a closed source, maximum-profit company effectively controlled by Microsoft,” and stated in the same Tweet “Not what I intended at all.”
Can we assume that Elon Musk is throwing his toys out of the pram, or does he have a deeper agenda and mission in creating the rival AI initiative?
Why Is Musk Intent On Building A New AI Chatbot?
OpenAI is one of the leading AI research institutions in the world, with a strong track record of producing cutting-edge research and technology. Any potential rival platform would have to offer unique and compelling features in order to compete with OpenAI’s established reputation and resources. But is that stopping Elon Musk from pushing the boundaries of AI and creating his own platform?
On the show, Musk spoke of his concerns about the current state of AI technology. He told Tucker Carlson it’s “being trained to be politically correct, which is simply another way of saying untruthful things.”
“What’s happening is they are training the AI to lie…not just say what the data demands that it say.” Elon later went on to back up his statement.
Speaking on ‘TruthGPT’, Musk went on to say “I think this might be the best path to safety, in the sense that an AI that cares about understanding the universe, it is unlikely to annihilate humans because we are an interesting part of the universe.”
Trust and transparency in the field of AI, therefore, appear to be the main motivation for the centibillionaire wanting to create the OpenAI rival. However, there has been a long-standing conversation around Elon Musk’s political beliefs and where he has put his money.
Business Insiders’ timeline of Musk’s political views quotes “His history of donations and past comments show that he has tended to position himself wherever he thinks power and influence are heading.” It could be argued, then, that Musk is perhaps moving with the wind now that he’s out of OpenAI.
How Far Away Are We From ‘TruthGPT’?
Although there has been no real news around the creation of TruthGPT and no proof yet that a team has started work on it, the Wall Street Journal reported recently that the tech CEO has created a new company called X.AI Corp to focus on artificial intelligence. A sign that he’s gearing up to take things forward, perhaps.
It’s also important to note that speaking on TruthGPT with Tucker Carlson is not the first time Elon Musk has spoken of his vision.
In February, he tweeted “What we need is TruthGPT”. That Tweet amassed almost 300 thousand likes, hinting that Musk isn’t lacking support around the new initiative.
What are your thoughts on the conversation being had around TruthGPT? Are you in support of the potential move by Elon Musk?
