Known for investing in new technological advancements, Tesla CEO Elon Musk supported artificial intelligence during its development in 2015. But in a recent interview with Tucker Carlson of Fox News on April 17, 2023, Musk discusses the dangers of AI and other concerns on machine-generated simulation of human intelligence.
Musk's Strong Opinions About AI
During the past years, AI products have started to gain popularity among the general public as they are utilized by consumers by tech giants such as Google and Microsoft. In terms of the language model, the AI chatbot ChatGPT from Open AI reportedly became the fastest-growing consumer application due to its success after its release in November 2022.
Elon Musk was an investor in OpenAI's private research laboratory in 2015 but decided to resign from the board in 2018. In early 2023, he joined a group of more than 1,000 technology and AI luminaries who signed an open letter compelling a moratorium on the development of AI. In this letter, technology leaders and researchers urged AI laboratories to pause the ongoing development of the most powerful artificial intelligence systems as it seems to get out of control. The letter suggests the pause to provide enough time to develop shared safety protocols for AI systems.
Musk believes our civilization is seriously threatened as humans show "benign dependency" on AI machines. His claim is based on the logic that heavy reliance on AI, in the long run, could result in humans forgetting how to run the machines that created AI in the first place.
"Even benign dependency on AI/Automation is dangerous to civilization if taken so far that we eventually forget how the machines work," Musk said in his Twitter post on May 2, 2023.
As Musk expresses his opinions about AI, he claims that tech leaders such as Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates have a "limited" understanding of this field. Furthermore, Musk also revealed his plan to create an AI product called TruthGPT which will compete against the offerings of Google and Microsoft.
How AI Transforms the Human Civilization
Artificial intelligence refers to the simulation of human intelligence by computer systems. It was developed to simulate human behavior and solve specific problems.
AI has soared its popularity over the past months, and as Gartner reported, 37% of organizations have started to implement this technology in some form. Servion Global Solutions predicts AI will power about 95% of customer interactions by 2025.
As it mimics human intelligence, AI has proven its important applications in various areas such as healthcare, education, and business. Despite the astonishing impact of artificial intelligence on human lives, it also comes with challenges that need to be solved. Privacy threats, job loss due to automation, and information processing are just factors to consider in developing AI-enabled products and services.
As AI technology transforms every walk of life, it faces issues in its development and raises questions on how we can get the most out of it without compromising human values.
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