Tech

Elon Musk says it's not impossible for AI to control humanity — to save it from itself

Elon Musk
Elon Musk. Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
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Elon Musk has issued another warning about the risks posed by advanced artificial intelligence. 

Speaking at the WSJ CEO Council Summit, Musk said AI had the potential to assume control of humanity. The billionaire told the Journal's Thorold Barker: "It's a small likelihood of annihilating humanity, but it's not zero."

He said there was also a chance AI would assume control for "the safety of all the humans" and effectively become some sort of "uber-nanny."

"There is a risk that advanced AI either eliminates or constrains humanity's growth," he said. Adding that super-intelligence was a "double-edged sword."

"If you have a genie that can grant you anything, that presents a danger," he said.

Musk has been wary of the powerful technology for some time despite investing in AI development within his own companies. In March, he signed an open letter calling for a six-month pause on advanced development. The letter cited potential risks to humanity and society, which included the spread of misinformation and widespread automation of jobs.

Musk said during the interview that while he does not use much AI in his day-to-day, Tesla used it a "tremendous" amount.

He also suggested there should be a competitor to Microsoft's partnership with OpenAI and Google's relationship with DeepMind.

"I think there should be a significant third horse in the race here," Musk said. "OpenAI has a relationship with Microsoft that seems to work fairly well, so it's possible that X.AI and Twitter, Tesla would have something similar."

Representatives for Musk did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, made outside normal working hours.

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Beatrice Nolan was a tech reporter on the business news team in the UK. She joined Insider in January 2022 as a fellow on Business Insider's careers desk. Beatrice covered tech and the future of work, with a focus on artificial intelligence. Some of her stories and early experiments with ChatGPT are widely cited. Beatrice has also discussed her work covering AI trends on panels and radio shows, including NPR.She was based in Business Insider's London office and graduated from the University of  York with a bachelor's degree in English.Featured Articles:Artists say AI image generators are copying their style to make thousands of new images — and it's completely out of their control.ChatGPT was a black swan eventFinland is the world's happiest country, but Finns say we're confusing happiness for something elseThe world is splitting between those who use ChatGPT to get better, smarter, richer — and everyone elseThis man used AI to write and illustrate a children's book in one weekend. He wasn't prepared for the backlash.ChatGPT has only been around for 2 months and is causing untold chaosTwo professors who say they caught students cheating on essays with ChatGPT explain why AI plagiarism can be hard to proveChatGPT wrote college application essays. Admissions professionals said they passed for essays written by students but wouldn't have a chance at any top colleges.College professors are considering creative ways to stop students from using AI to cheatChatGPT wrote my cover letters. Here's how recruiters responded.