Elon Musk, the owner of X, made some intriguing predictions about the future of artificial intelligence (AI) during a recent conversation with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Speaking at a groundbreaking AI summit held at Bletchley Park in the UK, Musk described a future where AI would usher in an "age of abundance" characterized by "universal high income" rather than a universal basic income. He noted that there would come a time when there would be no need for most jobs, and employment would become a matter of personal choice for those seeking personal satisfaction.
Musk drew an analogy, likening AI to a "magic genie" capable of granting any wish but cautioned that such stories often have unexpected consequences. He then pondered on the challenge of finding meaning in life when work is no longer the primary source of purpose.
However, Musk also raised concerns about the potential dangers posed by humanoid robots, stating that "we should be quite concerned" about their ability to relentlessly pursue individuals. He stressed the importance of having a physical off switch to prevent unwanted consequences in case a robot's behavior were to change due to a software update.
In response, Sunak noted the prevalence of movies depicting robots being switched off to avert disaster.
The two-day summit at Bletchley concluded with Western governments and technology companies involved in pioneering "frontier" AI agreeing on a new safety testing regime, marking an important step in shaping the future of AI technology.
