Tech

Elon Musk says AI is 'dangerous technology' and needs regulating to ensure it's 'operating within the public interest'

Elon Musk, wearing a black suit and tie, waves to photographers outside a courthouse
Elon Musk in San Francisco in January. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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Elon Musk doesn't think artificial intelligence will help Tesla make cars "anytime soon."

He made the comment at Tesla's investor day on Wednesday in response to a question from a shareholder.

But he reiterated his concerns about the technology. "I'm a little worried about AI stuff. I think it's something we should be concerned about," Musk said.

"We should need some kind of regulatory authority or something, overseeing AI development and making sure it's operating within the public interest."

Musk's thoughts on AI chimed with the views of OpenAI's chief technology officer, Mira Murati, who's said that AI tools should be regulated as they could be used by "bad actors."

Musk described AI as "quite a dangerous technology" in his response to the investor, adding he feared he "may have done things to accelerate it."

Last month, Musk said that unchecked AI could pose a threat to society in an address at the World Government Summit in Dubai. In 2018 he said the two things that most stressed him out were production difficulties with the Tesla Model 3,  and the dangers of AI.

Musk cofounded OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, the chatbot that has generated much attention since its release last November. People have been using it for side hustles using the AI tool, while others have used it to write cover letters.

Insider's Adam Rogers wrote about how ChatGPT, or other similar AI tools like Microsoft's Bing, are "bullshit engines" and why they shouldn't be trusted. 

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Sam Tabahriti reports on trending business news from the London bureau. He frequently covers tech, such as Apple, Twitter, Meta, and Google as well as transportation. Sam is particularly interested in investigating tech companies.  He received his BA in Journalism from the University of Westminster.  Before joining Insider, Sam worked for BBC, The Sunday Times Magazine, talkRADIO, Metro, and more.  Reach out You can get in touch with him by email at stabahriti@bjinnox.com or stabahriti@proton.me securely. He is also available via Twitter @samtabahriti or Instagram @samtbrt. WhatsApp, Signal, or Telegram available upon request.  Top stories A SpaceX technician suffered a fractured skull during a routine rocket test in January and was placed in a coma A 62-year old engineer alleges he was sidelined at SpaceX over fears that he might 'retire or die' Rich Russians offered a Caribbean shortcut to US visas by paying their way to a Grenadian passport Dozens of seized superyachts may cause significant environmental damage if governments fail to pay millions in maintenance costs, experts say Russian oligarchs have been sanctioned like Osama bin Laden was, and they're using similar tactics to avoid them, an expert said Russian oligarchs anticipated sanctions months before the war and moved money through Hawala, an informal payment system, an expert says