Indian-origin artificial intelligence researcher Devendra Singh Chaplot has joined Elon Musk’s AI venture xAI, as a Research Scientist, marking a significant addition to the company’s efforts to develop advanced artificial intelligence systems. Chaplot announced the move through a post on X (formerly Twitter), where he shared a photograph with Musk and expressed his excitement about working on next-generation AI technologies.
In his announcement, Chaplot said he would be working closely with Musk and the broader team to develop “superintelligence,” combining capabilities from both xAI and SpaceX. Elon Musk responded to the announcement by publicly welcoming Chaplot to the team, highlighting the importance of his expertise in artificial intelligence and robotics.
Chaplot brings extensive experience in artificial intelligence, robotics, and machine learning. He completed his undergraduate degree in Computer Science and Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay in 2014 and later pursued advanced studies at Carnegie Mellon University, where he earned a master’s degree in Language Technology and a PhD in Machine Learning.
Throughout his career, Chaplot has worked with several leading technology and research organizations. He previously worked as a research scientist at Facebook AI Research, focusing on areas such as computer vision, robotics, and machine learning. He later joined Mistral AI, where he contributed to the development of large language models and led multimodal AI research initiatives.
Chaplot has also been associated with Thinking Machines Lab, an AI research startup, where he worked on building advanced AI models and research systems. His research achievements include winning major international AI competitions such as the CVPR PointNav Challenge, the CVPR ObjectNav Challenge, and the NeurIPS Rearrangement Habitat Challenge.
At xAI and SpaceX, Chaplot is expected to contribute to projects that combine robotics, machine learning, and large-scale artificial intelligence systems. The collaboration between the two companies aims to integrate physical technologies such as robotics and space systems with advanced AI models, potentially pushing the development of intelligent systems capable of operating in both digital and real-world environments.
His appointment reflects the growing role of global AI talent in shaping the next generation of artificial intelligence technologies. As companies like xAI invest heavily in building advanced AI systems, researchers with deep expertise in machine learning, robotics, and large-scale models are becoming central to the industry’s future development.
