During the AI Safety Summit in the UK, Elon Musk warned that there would be no jobs in the future and that AI would be able to do everything while addressing U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and billionaire Elon Musk had a one-on-one conversation to wrap up the AI Safety Summit, the world’s premier gathering on artificial intelligence (AI) safety held in the United Kingdom on November 2.
Along with leaders from 27 nations, Musk was one of several well-known attendees at the conference. Other notable attendees were the heads of OpenAI, Meta, Google, and its AI company DeepMind. One of the highlights of the second day was the roughly hour-long conversation between Musk and Sunak.
Elon Musk began their chat by comparing new technology to a “magic genie,” and they discussed everything from China to hazards associated with AI.
“It is somewhat of the magic genie problem, where if you have a magic genie that can grant all the wishes, usually those stories don’t end well. Be careful what you wish for.”
Both compared these sentient robots to science-fiction films such as The Terminator and remarked that they need a physical “off-switch.” “The person turns it off at the end of all these movies with the same plot,” Sunak remarked.
Elon Musk said:
“It’s both good and bad. One of the challenges in the future will be, how do we find meaning in life if you have a magic genie that can do everything you want?”
This was brought up following what Sunak referred to as a “landmark agreement” between governments and AI businesses to subject new models to official testing before their public distribution.
Musk described artificial intelligence (AI) as the most “disruptive force in history” and predicted that it would surpass even the most intelligent human when questioned about its effects on the labor market.
“There will come a point where no job is needed. You can have a job if you want to have a job for personal satisfaction, but the AI will be able to do everything.”
Musk said, “I’m not sure if that makes people comfortable or uncomfortable.”
Furthermore, Musk discussed China’s participation in the summit, calling it “essential.” “If they’re not participants, it’s pointless,” he said.
“If the United States and the U.K. and China are aligned on safety, then that’s going to be a good thing because that’s where the leadership is generally.”
The competition to create and implement the most cutting-edge AI systems has pitted the United States and China against one another during the last 12 months.
In response to Sunak’s question on what he thought the government ought to be doing to reduce risk, Musk said:
“I generally think that it is good for the government to play a role when public safety is at risk; for the vast majority of software, public safety is not at risk. But when we talk about digital super intelligence, which does pose a risk to the public, then there is a role for the government to play to safeguard the public.”
The Digital Evolution series sponsored by Global X ETFs has provided a visual guide to AI adoption by industry.
Although some in Silicon Valley think rules will stifle innovation and slow it down, Musk promised that while they will “be annoying,” having a “referee” will be beneficial.
“Government to be a referee to make sure there is sportsmanlike conduct and public safety are addressed because at times I think there is too much optimism about technology.”
Since artificial intelligence (AI) quickly entered the mainstream, governments all over the world have been scrambling to come up with appropriate ways to regulate the technology.
On November 3, Musk said on X, the former Twitter, that his “xAI” will make its initial AI available to a “select group.” It might be the “best” available right now, he said, in certain “important” areas.