Musk: Artificial intelligence is the most destructive force in our history

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the most destructive force in our history. This is what billionaire and entrepreneur Elon Musk said during an interview conducted by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The extraordinary conversation on technology, the future and AI was the final part of the summit in Bletchley Park.

“Our biggest problem will be the meaning of life”

According to Musk, the future that awaits us with the development of AI is for humanity to reach a point where having a profession is purely for pleasure.

“There will be a time when no profession will be needed. You can have a job for personal satisfaction, but AI will do everything else,” Musk believes.

“This is both good and bad – one of the challenges facing people will be how to find the meaning of life,” he adds.

Musk has long expressed the view that AI is dangerous and a threat to humanity. “However, to be balanced, I think AI will be used for good in most cases. But the possibility of using it for evil purposes is not zero,” he commented during the interview.

As negative examples, Musk pointed to developments in deepfake video and disinformation coming from AI bots. At the same time, the conversation also turned to the far more fantastical prediction of evil humanoid robots.

“At least the car can’t chase you up a tree or follow you home… If you have a humanoid robot, it can find you anywhere. There should be a central stop button somewhere. Any software that can be improved online can be hacked,” Musk said.

The positives of AI

The conversation was also filled with optimism. Rishi Sunak and Musk discussed the aspect of AI in education. The billionaire described it as “the most patient and knowledgeable teacher.”

Separate AI can also turn out to be a good company. “One of my sons has developmental issues and it’s hard for him to make friends. An AI friend would be a wonderful thing for him,” says Musk.

“If we have an artificial intelligence that remembers all its conversations and events with you, it will know you much better than anyone else. You will have a friend. This AI will learn and grow alongside the children,” says the billionaire.

Still, he warned – “The speed at which AI is evolving is far greater than any other technology I’ve seen. Governments are generally not used to this speed.”