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xAI's $6 Billion Raise and Elon Musk's AI Ambitions

Tuesday 24 December 2024 - 16:01

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Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence venture, xAI, has raised $6 billion, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. This brings the total funding raised by the company to $12 billion, after an earlier round earlier this year.

The funding came from 97 investors, each contributing a minimum of $77,593, although their identities remain undisclosed. Some prominent investors include Andreessen Horowitz, Blackrock, Fidelity, and several other financial and tech firms.

Founded by Musk in 2023, xAI has quickly made a name for itself with the launch of Grok, its flagship generative AI model. Grok powers various features on Musk’s social media platform, including a chatbot available to X Premium subscribers and some free users in select regions. Unlike other AI systems, Grok is designed with a rebellious edge, offering responses to controversial or taboo topics that are often avoided by more traditional models. For example, it has been known to use vulgar language and curse words when prompted, distinguishing itself from platforms like ChatGPT, which are often criticized for being overly politically correct.

Musk has openly criticized AI systems like ChatGPT, labeling them as “too woke” and politically correct. He has positioned Grok as a more direct and truthful model, asserting that it is less biased than its competitors, although some evidence suggests that Grok may lean toward more left-leaning perspectives.

xAI is racing to catch up with powerful rivals such as OpenAI and Anthropic in the highly competitive field of generative AI. In addition to launching a public API for integrating Grok into third-party apps, platforms, and services, xAI recently unveiled an iOS app for Grok, currently available to a limited test audience. With this growing momentum, xAI aims to make significant strides in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.