Technology billionaire Elon Musk went to the Capitol on Wednesday to warn US senators that artificial intelligence poses a “civilization risk” to both governments and societies.
Live look at Elon Musk (me) walking into the Senate AI Insight forum! pic.twitter.com/3X2U2fiJx3
— Elon Musk (parody) (@ElonMuskAOC) September 13, 2023
Musk’s AI warning
NBC News reported that Musk was in Washington DC to attend a closed-door summit on AI, which was also attended by Big Tech power players like Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Sundar Pichai and Sam Altman. Musk told reporters afterward that the summit, to which all 100 senators were invited, was “historic.”
“I think this meeting could go down in history as important for the future of civilization,” Musk said, according to CNBC. “The consequences if AI goes wrong are serious, so we need to be proactive rather than reactive.”
“The question is really one of civilizational risk,” he continued. ‘It’s not the case… that one group of people is opposed to another. It’s like this is something that’s potentially risky for all people everywhere.”
When asked if he thinks AI will destroy humanity, Musk took a moment before answering: “There is a greater than zero chance that AI will kill us all. I think it’s low. But if there is any chance, I think we should also take into account the fragility of human civilization.”
That’s why Musk is calling for a federal artificial intelligence department that would operate in the same way as the Federal Aviation Administration or the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, adding that those in the space needed to be “proactive and reactive.”
Elon Musk is asked: “Is AI going to kill us all?”
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 13, 2023
Related: Elon Musk trolls Bill Gates over past ties to Jeffrey Epstein
Others are speaking out at Summit
Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) told reporters as she left the summit that she was struck by Musk using the phrase “civilization risk” when warning of the dangers of AI.
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“From there you had everything to make high-level commentary about the risks to civilization associated with AI, which is an 60,000-foot level commentary, and everything in between, so I found it surprisingly interesting and useful,” said Lummis. “And I’m glad I went.”
During the summit, Meta CEO Zuckerberg said it is up to the government to regulate AI.
“I agree that Congress must address AI to support innovation and safeguards,” Zuckerberg said. “This is an emerging technology, there are important equities that need to be balanced here, and the government is ultimately responsible for that.”
Altman, the CEO of ChatGPT parent company OpenAI, spoke out afterward, saying he was surprised that both sides of the aisle seemed to agree on “the need to take this seriously and treat it with urgency.”
“I think people all agree that this is something where we need leadership from the administration,” Altman told reporters. “There is some disagreement about how it should be done, but unanimity is important and urgent.”
Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates arrive before closed for AI session 👀 pic.twitter.com/l9b4qGcVzu
— HumanDilemma (@HumanDilemma_) September 13, 2023
Related: Elon Musk Torches Out California Private School For Making His Child A Transgender Communist
Musk’s previous AI warning
In June, Musk predicted a “catastrophic outcome” for humanity if AI is not regulated.
“I think there is a real danger that digital superintelligence will have negative consequences,” he said during his speech in Paris at the Viva Tech conference, according to Yahoo News.
Musk went on to say that while AI would “most likely” bring positive results to the world, including ushering in an “age of abundance” when it comes to access to goods and services, we also need to use it with caution.
“That’s not every possible outcome,” Musk said. “We need to minimize the chance of something going wrong with digital superintelligence.”
Elon Musk predicts ‘catastrophic consequences’ without AI regulation#Web3Wiser pic.twitter.com/KvayIfFxdk
— Wise (@web3wiser) June 16, 2023
These are truly crazy technological times we live in, and AI is perhaps the biggest testament to that. Ultimately, we may all want to heed Musk’s warning when it comes to AI, because the future of humanity may depend on how we deal with it now.
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