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Elon Musk’s xAI goes after OpenAI
The fight is turning nasty.
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xAI also stands to benefit from familial ties with Tesla and SpaceX, Mr Elon Musk’s rocket and satellite firm.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The Economist
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An underappreciated force behind great technological change is intense – and petty – rivalry. In the “war of the currents” in the late 19th century, Thomas Edison electrocuted stray animals to discredit Nikola Tesla. A century later, Steve Jobs traded insults with Bill Gates during a battle between Apple and Microsoft. Even Silicon Valley, a satirical HBO series, starts with a feud – and the priceless quip: “These are billionaires, Richard. Humiliating each other is worth more to them than we will make in a lifetime.”
In the world of generative artificial intelligence (AI), the scrap between Mr Elon Musk and Mr Sam Altman is in the same league. It is both silly and captivating. Silly because they insult each other, try to discredit each other’s chatbots and fight over who meant what almost a decade ago when they co-founded OpenAI.
