Indian AI Scientist Joins Elon Musk

Devendra Singh Chaplot to work with SpaceX and xAI on superintelligence research

March 14, 2026: Indian artificial intelligence researcher Devendra Singh Chaplot has announced that he will join SpaceX and xAI to work directly with tech entrepreneur Elon Musk on advanced AI systems. Chaplot shared the update in a post on X, saying the collaboration will focus on building “superintelligence” by combining robotics, artificial intelligence and large-scale computing infrastructure.

Before this move, Chaplot worked as a research scientist at Mistral AI and earlier at Facebook AI Research, where he explored the intersection of machine learning and robotics. He said the partnership between SpaceX and xAI offers a unique opportunity to integrate physical and digital intelligence, leveraging cutting-edge engineering capabilities and large-scale AI research.

Chaplot completed his computer science studies at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and later earned a PhD in machine learning from Carnegie Mellon University. His work has earned recognition in global AI competitions such as the CVPR-2019 PointNav Challenge and NeurIPS-2022 Rearrangement Habitat Challenge. With this new role, Chaplot is set to contribute to Musk’s broader vision of merging advanced software intelligence with real-world machines.