Tesla CEO Elon Musk has issued yet another warning about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence (AI)—namely, that it could destroy humanity.
In a May 16 interview with CNBC anchor David Faber, the tech tycoon noted that the future of AI could go one of two ways.
“There’s a strong probability that it will make life much better and that we’ll have an age of abundance,” he said. “And there’s some chance that it goes wrong and destroys humanity.”
He added: “Hopefully, that chance is small, but it’s not zero. And so, I think we want to take whatever actions we can think of to minimize the probability that AI goes wrong.”
Misgivings
The rapid advancement of AI technology has alarmed many in the tech industry—particularly since the November release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, a powerful AI chatbot that uses machine learning to simulate human cognitive function.In his May 16 interview, Musk addressed his role in the development of that groundbreaking technology.
“I am the reason OpenAI exists,” he said, revealing that he gave roughly $50 million to the research lab when it was still a nonprofit organization.
“I came up with the name,” he added. “OpenAI refers to ‘open source.’”
Open-source software is computer software that allows users to inspect, modify, and distribute its source code.
Musk said he invested in OpenAI, hoping it would pose an open-source alternative to Google DeepMind. In 2019, however, OpenAI became a for-profit company with closed-source software in a move Musk questioned the legality of.
New Initiative
Despite his regrets over his involvement with OpenAI, Musk recently founded his own for-profit AI company, X.AI Corp., in March, according to a Nevada business filing (pdf).As a result, the social media company is now also incorporated in Nevada.
Musk has said that his X app would be modeled after WeChat, a Chinese messaging app that operates as a one-stop-shop for practically everything, including gaming, financial services, transportation, ordering food, and more.
The app has also reportedly been used as a tool for government censorship.
When reached for comment about the potential risks that Musk’s “everything app” could pose in combination with AI technology, Twitter responded with a poop emoji.