Elon Musk Says He Came Up With ChatGPT-Creator OpenAI's Name, Claims Microsoft Controls The AI Research Lab

OpenAI is yet to respond to Musk's claims.

ChatGPT was launched by OpenAI as a protoype in November 2022.

Elon Musk, the outgoing CEO of Twitter, recently asserted that he played a significant role in the establishment of OpenAI, a Microsoft-backed artificial intelligence (AI) research lab. He claimed to have come up with the name and assisted in the recruitment of key scientists and engineers for the organization. However, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella strongly refuted Musk's claim that Microsoft exercises control over OpenAI.

“I came up with the name,” Musk told CNBC’s David Faber during a Twitter Spaces chat.

https://t.co/jKxHdqc2Vp

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 16, 2023

Musk, who had previously invested in OpenAI, expressed concerns about the company's capped-profit model and questioned its commitment to safe AI development. He had initially pledged approximately $1 billion in support but eventually invested around $50 million after disagreements arose regarding the pace of OpenAI's advancements.

While Musk signed an open letter in March urging a pause in advanced AI development to establish safeguards, he admitted that he didn't expect the letter to have a significant impact. Interestingly, in April, Musk incorporated a rival AI firm called X.AI, despite his involvement in the cautionary letter. Musk clarified that signing the letter was a gesture he wanted to make "for the record."

At the time of writing, OpenAI had not provided any immediate comment on Musk's claims.

During his conversation with Faber, Musk also mentioned his previous friendship with Larry Page, one of the co-founders of Google. According to Musk, he and Page engaged in extensive discussions about the nature of AI.

Musk criticised Page, alleging that he was indifferent to AI safety and referred to an incident where Page called him a "species-ist" for prioritizing human consciousness over machine consciousness.

Larry Page was unavailable for immediate comment regarding Musk's remarks, CNBC reported.