Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has publicly acknowledged a significant shift in his perspective on AI startup Anthropic, admitting he was 'clearly wrong' about the company's capabilities. In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), Musk declared Anthropic the current leader in artificial intelligence.
Musk's praise specifically highlighted Anthropic's Mythos and Fable models, stating, "No company has released a model as good as Mythos/Fable, and they will undoubtedly have Mythos 2 ready soon." This endorsement comes after years of Musk expressing skepticism about Anthropic's AI advancements and competitive standing.
The surprising turnaround follows a substantial deal between Anthropic and SpaceXAI, Musk's AI computing infrastructure arm. In May, Anthropic secured a contract to utilize 300 megawatts of compute capacity, agreeing to pay $1.25 billion per month until May 2029. This arrangement underscores Anthropic's reliance on SpaceX's resources for its intensive AI research and development.
Despite the competitive landscape, Musk affirmed his commitment to fair dealings, stating, "I would never cut them off in a way that hurt them badly, even as a competitor. That’s not my style." He drew parallels to Tesla's open-source patent strategy and SpaceX's practice of launching satellites for rival companies, emphasizing a broader philosophy of fostering innovation even among competitors.
Musk's public admission marks a notable moment, as such direct reversals of opinion, particularly concerning rival tech firms, are rare for the outspoken billionaire. While it acknowledges Anthropic's rapid progress in frontier AI, it remains to be seen how this shift will influence the dynamic between the two influential figures in the AI industry.