Elon Musk is sounding the alarm about the dangers AI poses to humanity, warning us that more needs to be done to limit its development or we risk sleepwalking into a disaster. What a lot of people don’t know is that Elon Musk was actually one of the founders of OpenAI, which is responsible for chatGPT. So it’s really interesting to hear his take on the AI Revolution and how it could be a danger to society.
Musk believes that over time, humans may forget how to operate the machines that enabled AI in the first place, as they become reliant on them to perform even simple tasks. Concerns about the dangers of AI have been a recurring theme for the entrepreneur lately. During a recent two-part interview with Tucker Carlson, Musk said that AI is more dangerous than mismanaged aircraft design or production maintenance, or bad car production, and that it has the potential of civilization destruction.
Musk’s strong opinions on AI have been well known for years, and he has been a vocal advocate for caution in its development. He was among a group of tech luminaries who signed an open letter urging a moratorium on its development and has dismissed other tech leaders, including Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, for having a limited understanding of the field as a whole.
Musk predicted that AI would most likely bring positive outcomes, including ushering in an age of abundance in terms of access to goods and services. But he said this should not be taken as a given. Musk stated, ‘We need to minimize the probability that something will go wrong with digital superintelligence. I think there should be some government oversight because it affects the public. Besides total annihilation, Musk offered another vision: the potential for AI to take a self-appointed role as a global peacekeeper, or as he phrased it, become our Uber Nanny. This hypothetical AI would prioritize human safety by assuming control of all computing and weapon systems on Earth.
One way to achieve world peace, according to Musk, is to take all the weapons away from humans so they can no longer use them. Musk also warned of the advent of drone wars between advanced nations with significant AI and drone capabilities. He also cautioned about misinformation and election interference, particularly in social media, where AI could be used to manipulate public opinion.
While Musk has been sounding alarms about AI for years, he has also been a part of the broader AI arms race through investments across his sprawling empire of companies. For example, Tesla relies heavily on artificial intelligence and hosts an annual AI day to showcase its work. Musk was a founding member of OpenAI, the company behind products like chatGPT. However, Musk has expressed concerns about the evolution of OpenAI, stating that it is not what he intended.
Despite his involvement in AI development, Musk wants regulation and an agency to regulate AI in several industries. He believes that AI can lead to privacy concerns, inequality, and safety issues. As AI becomes a bigger part of our everyday lives, it is crucial for society to remain vigilant and mindful of the possible consequences.
