Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI plans to open source its chatbot, called Grok, this week. This announcement comes after Musk sued OpenAI for deviating from its open source roots and becoming closed-source. Musk co-founded OpenAI as a counterweight to Google’s dominance in AI, but he alleges that it has now become a subsidiary of Microsoft and is focused on maximizing profits. The lawsuit has sparked a debate among technologists and investors about the merits of open source AI. Musk has long been a supporter of open source and has open sourced many of his firm’s technologies, including Tesla’s patents.
| Signal | Change | 10y horizon | Driving force |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elon Musk’s AI startup xAI will open source Grok | Open sourcing AI technology | More AI technologies will be open sourced | Criticism of closed-source AI and profit focus |
| Musk sued OpenAI for deviating from open source roots | Debate about open source AI and its merits | Increased focus on open source AI development | Desire for AI technology to benefit humanity |
| OpenAI accused of becoming a closed-source subsidiary | Shift from open source to closed-source AI development | Greater reliance on closed-source AI by large companies | Maximizing profits and aligning with Microsoft |
| Growing trend of firms publishing codes of chatbots | Increased transparency in AI development | More chatbot codes will be made public | Promoting collaboration and advancing technology |
| Musk supports open source and has open sourced patents | Continued support for open source in various industries | Adoption of open source practices across different fields | Encouraging innovation and collaboration |