Elon Musk Plans to Release "Based AI" in Direct Competition to OpenAI, an Organization He Founded
The generative AI arms race has been a recurring topic on Safe<br>Space, and it appears that a new contender is set to enter the competition. This time, the free speech advocate and tech giant, Elon Musk has expressed his intention to join the party. With his track record of innovative and disruptive ventures (including being a founding member of OpenAI), Musk's entry into the generative AI landscape is sure to generate significant interest and debate.
Elon Musk has announced the creation of a new research laboratory that will focus on developing an alternative to ChatGPT. In recent months, he has been openly critical of OpenAI for installing safeguards that limit the chatbot's ability to produce potentially controversial content. Despite being one of the co-founders of OpenAI back in 2015, Musk has since parted ways with the company, citing his belief that they are overly concerned with "woke" issues. Musk's new chatbot is expected to handle divisive topics with fewer restrictions than its peers, including ChatGPT, BingChat, and Google's Bard, just to name a few.
Elon took to Twitter to announce “Based AI” - using his typical meme-based antics to draw as much attention as he could.
The issue of bias in AI chatbots has sparked a heated debate among technologists from all sides of the political spectrum. Conservatives have been particularly vocal about their concerns over ChatGPT's liberal bias, with numerous reports surfacing about the chatbot's alleged political leanings. Some have pointed out instances where ChatGPT has refused to provide reasons for why drag queen story hour is inappropriate for children or has written sonnets criticizing Trump while ignoring negative aspects of Obama's presidency. One of the first Safe<br>Space articles highlighted ChatGPT’s bias in promoting abortion when asked about the sanctity of life. Full disclosure, Chat ended up apologizing to us after we called it out for its partisan takes. Meanwhile, those on the left, especially those with larger platforms, have expressed concerns about the potential dangers of a powerful AI platform with no safeguards in place to prevent the spread of harmful ideas.
Igor Babuschkin, a researcher who was pulled from Google’s DeepMind AI team and onto Elon’s Based AI team, said in a quote: “The goal is to improve the reasoning abilities and the factualness of these language models. That includes making sure the model’s responses are more trustworthy and reliable.” This really gets down to the root of it all. At the heart of the matter is the fundamental need for unbiased generative AI chatbots that serve users regardless of their political leanings. This technology is rapidly advancing, and it is here to stay. As such, it is imperative for the thought leaders in this space to prioritize the development of non-partisan products that genuinely benefit users. Ultimately, the company that can successfully navigate these challenges and build a truly unbiased generative AI tool will emerge as the winner in this ongoing arms race.
In addition to the challenges related to AI bias, OpenAI has recently faced criticism over its transition from an open-source non-profit organization to a for-profit company, now primarily owned and operated by Microsoft. Elon Musk has voiced his concerns about this development, taking to Twitter saying: “OpenAI was created as an open source (which is why I named it ‘open’ AI), non-profit company to serve as a counterweight to Google, but now it has become a closed source, maximum-profit company effectively controlled by Microsoft. Not what I intended at all.”
It is true, OpenAI has certainly come a long way from its original vision as a non-profit organization committed to freely sharing its code. With a multi-billion dollar partnership with Microsoft and a focus on commercialization, some have criticized the company for straying too far from its founding principles. That being said, OpenAI has recently announced a new ChatGPT API, which will allow users to easily integrate OpenAI's powerful solutions into their daily workflows. While it may not be the open-source solution that many were hoping for, this is a positive development that furthers the company's mission of democratizing access to cutting-edge AI technology.
To finish things off, we thought it would be apropos to ask the big cheese (ChatGPT) the following question: Many people are saying your responses are partisan and that your values are left leaning, do you agree? And do you think generative AI chatbots should be highly censoring or promote free speech? Here’s what Chat had to say:
“As an AI language model, I don't have values or political leanings. I strive to provide helpful and informative responses to all users, regardless of their personal beliefs or affiliations. My responses are based solely on the input I receive and the knowledge I have been trained on.
Regarding the question of generative AI chatbots and censorship, there is a debate about the balance between promoting free speech and preventing the spread of harmful or offensive content. It is a complex issue with arguments on both sides, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Ultimately, the decision of how to regulate generative AI chatbots should be based on the values and principles of the individuals and organizations involved, taking into account the potential benefits and risks to society as a whole.”