Watch: Elon Musk Answers Question On Whether AI 'Will End Humanity'?

Elon Musk recently discussed the potential risks associated with artificial intelligence (AI) amidst the fast-changing developments in the field. With the advent of superintelligence, Tesla’s CEO said that predicting future outcomes becomes increasingly challenging.

Appearing virtually at the Abundance 360 Summit held in Silicon Valley, Musk acknowledged a small but significant chance that AI could pose dangers to humanity, estimating it at around 10 to 20 percent. Despite this, he argued that the potential benefits of AI outweigh the risks.

From AI and quantum computing to AR/VR, industry experts said that advances in bleeding-edge technologies will prove to be a boon for humanity. Analysts predict that the current generation will witness a world unrecognisable due to technological advancements across multiple fields.

‘Looking ahead’

Musk’s concerns, expressed at the “Great AI Debate” seminar, are not new. Last November, he underlined the possibility of AI turning out bad and advocated for implementing more regulations to mitigate potential negative outcomes.

Looking ahead, the US billionaire predicted that by 2030, AI will surpass human intelligence. He stressed the importance of caution in dealing with the potential adverse effects of this advancement. Drawing an analogy between developing super-smart AI and raising a gifted child, Musk emphasised the significance of instilling truthfulness and curiosity in AI systems.

According to Musk, maintaining AI safety is paramount. He proposed a straightforward approach to achieve this: ensuring that AI always tells the truth. Musk warned that once AI learns to lie, it becomes challenging to control its behaviour. Musk’s remarks come as his artificial intelligence startup xAI’s latest Grok-1.5 chatbot will soon be available on his social media platform X.

“Grok 2 should exceed current AI on all metrics. In training now,” Musk said last week. Grok-1.5, the enhanced version of its chatbot Grok, will be made available to early testers and existing Grok users on X in the coming days. Earlier, Musk said xAI would open-source Grok, days after the billionaire sued Microsoft, backed OpenAI for allegedly abandoning its original mission in favor of a for-profit model.