Musk: AI could surpass total human intelligence within 5 years, admits to being 'a bit carried away' with politics

Odaily Planet Daily News: Musk was recently interviewed by Zanny Minton Beddoes, Editor-in-Chief of The Economist, sharing his views on superintelligent AI, politics, and AI regulation.

Musk predicts that artificial intelligence will surpass the combined intelligence of all humans within about the next 5 years, stating that by then, AI will outperform humans in almost every field, except for simply "being human." He believes AI could bring about an "unprecedented era of abundance," allowing people to obtain almost anything they desire.

Discussing AI risks, Musk reiterated his previous assessment that there is about a 10% to 20% probability of AI leading to human extinction. However, he stated that since the development of AI and robotics technology is now irreversible, he has come to accept this reality and said his current attitude is to "enjoy the ride," even suggesting that if an "off switch" existed, it wouldn't necessarily be activated.

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

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

Additionally, Musk once again criticized OpenAI's transition from a non-profit 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 as "a very principled person" and stated that if necessary, AI companies should "put aside personal grudges and cooperate for the good of the world."

During the interview, Musk also insisted that the budget cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) "have not caused anyone's death" and denied related criticisms, drawing skepticism from the interviewer. (BusinessInsider)