Musk: AI Could Surpass Total Human Intelligence Within 5 Years, Admits to “Getting Carried Away” with Politics

Odaily reported that Elon Musk recently gave an interview to Zanny Minton Beddoes, Editor-in-Chief of The Economist, discussing topics including super-intelligent AI, politics, and AI regulation.

Musk predicted that artificial intelligence would surpass the combined intelligence of all human beings within the next 5 years or so, stating that AI would then outperform humans in almost every field, except for “being human itself.” He believes AI has the potential to bring about an “unprecedented era of abundance,” allowing people to obtain almost anything they desire.

Regarding AI risks, Musk reiterated his previous assessment that there is roughly a 10% to 20% probability of AI leading to human extinction. However, he noted that as the development of AI and robotics technology has become irreversible, he has accepted this reality. He described his current attitude as “enjoying the ride,” adding that even if a “pause button” existed, it might not necessarily be pushed.

Musk admitted he has been “a bit too invested in politics, even a little carried away.” Nevertheless, he defended his previous work pushing for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut fiscal spending, stating that his goal was to reduce government waste and fraudulent expenditures.

On AI governance, Musk suggested that major AI labs such as OpenAI, xAI, and Anthropic should hold regular safety meetings to mutually assess potential risks before releasing new models. He believes that competitors are better positioned than governments to identify problems in each other's models.

Additionally, Musk once again criticized OpenAI for transitioning from a non-profit organization to a closed-source for-profit company, and reiterated his dissatisfaction with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. At the same time, he praised Anthropic co-founder and CEO Dario Amodei, calling him “a man of great principle,” and stated that if necessary, AI companies should “put aside personal grievances and cooperate for the good of the world.”

During the interview, Musk also insisted that budget cuts to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) “did not cause any deaths” and denied related criticisms, prompting questions from the interviewer. (BusinessInsider)