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

Odaily Planet Daily News: Elon Musk recently gave an interview to Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor-in-chief of The Economist, sharing his views on topics such as superintelligent AI, politics, and AI regulation.

Musk predicted that artificial intelligence will surpass the combined intelligence of all humanity within approximately five years. He stated that by that time, AI will outperform humans in almost every area, except for "being human itself." He believes AI could usher in an "unprecedented age of abundance," allowing people to obtain nearly anything they desire.

Regarding the risks of AI, Musk reiterated his previous assessment that there is roughly a 10% to 20% probability of AI leading to human extinction. However, he said that as the development of AI and robotics technology has become irreversible, he has come to accept this reality. He stated that his current attitude is to "enjoy the ride," and even if a "pause button" existed, it might not necessarily be the right choice to press it.

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

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

Additionally, Musk once again criticized OpenAI's transition 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 very principled man," and stated that if necessary, AI companies should "set aside personal grievances and cooperate for the good of the world."

During the interview, Musk also insisted that budget cuts at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have "not resulted in any deaths" and denied related criticisms, prompting skepticism from the interviewer. (BusinessInsider)