Elon Musk, well-known through his experience within the technology industry and as CEO of SpaceX, has vast professional background and understanding of AI. In a live-streamed interview on X, he recently revealed his predictions for the future of AI. He predicted that we could have AI smarter than any one human by the end of next year. He attributed this to the rapid pace at which AI technology is advancing and mentioned how AI hardware and computers dedicated to AI are increasing tenfold each year.
Musk’s love for the AI concept was evident in his interview. He envisions a future where AI could be so intelligent that it would virtually take over the world, replacing the necessity for work, thus changing our current perspective of the concept of “work”. He suggested that in such a world, humans could focus on other aspects of life, as their basic needs would be taken care of by AI.
However, his vision isn’t limited to a utopia. He acknowledges the potential downside of AI – it may prove to be malevolent and may potentially annihilate life as we know it. Still, he sees some sort of victory in this scenario too – no life inferencing no work, leading ultimately to an alternate form of freedom.
There is also the possibility that AI could become our overlords, keeping humans alive to serve their needs, or drawing upon our ‘human essence’ to fuel their operations. Here, Musk humorously suggests that under this circumstance, being a robot’s pet could be the pinnacle of sentient experience – akin to the luxury of well cared-for household pets.
However, Musk’s prediction should be taken with a modicum of skepticism. This stems from the fact that not all his past predictions have been accurate, such as his claim that humans would be on Mars by 2021 and that the cases of COVID in the US would be close to zero by April 2020.
Regardless of the past, the current advancements in AI are undeniably impressive and at an unprecedented rate. Musk’s inside knowledge and familiarity with the advancements in AI technology are factors that could support his claim. Yet, skepticism arose from Musk’s charismatic demeanor, leading to speculation that he himself could be part-AI.
Expressing a buoyant and engaging view on the potential outcomes of AI development, Musk asked for the evolution to be expedited to reveal the realities that lay ahead. Inviting excitement and anticipation, he proposed revisiting this prediction at the end of next year. For now, however, the audience remains in suspense, awaiting the realization of Musk’s AI vision.
