Algemeen·NRC·29 apr

Elon Musk is betting his business empire on AI

Those who believe in Elon Musk are convinced both by his vision to go where no one has ventured before and his ability to pay for it—what some call the „Elon backstop”. Mr Musk’s announcement on February 2nd that he will merge SpaceX, which builds rockets and sells satellite broadband, with x AI , his artificial-intelligence lab, was not short of ambition. The world’s richest man declared that the new company would „extend the light of consciousness to the stars”. Back on Earth, however, it is getting harder to see how Mr Musk’s numbers add up.