Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, has shared his thoughts on the future of artificial intelligence (AI), suggesting that it could either serve as a global peacekeeper or assume an ‘uber nanny’ role. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Musk proposed a scenario where AI prioritizes human safety by taking control of all computing and weapon systems worldwide.
“One way to achieve world peace is to take all the weapons away from the humans so they can no longer use them,” Musk said. “I don’t think the AI is going to try to destroy all Humanity but it might put us under strict controls.”
Musk anticipates that the initial malicious uses of AI will likely be in weapons technology, leading to “Drone Wars” between advanced nations with significant AI and drone capabilities. He also expressed concern about the use of AI in social media to manipulate public opinion and interfere with elections.
However, Musk also envisions a more optimistic scenario, which he refers to as “the benign scenario.” In this scenario, AI leads to an age of abundance by significantly reducing the cost of various products.
Despite his mixed views on AI, Musk continues to maintain a sense of humor when it comes to cryptocurrency. When asked about his favorite crypto, he said, “Dogecoin is my sort of favorite cryptocurrency because it has the best humor and has dogs.”
While he doesn’t advise anyone to invest heavily in Dogecoin, he did mention that “the most ironic outcome would be that it becomes the global currency.”