Because Tesla CEO Elon Musk has his fingers in many pies, it doesn’t come as a surprise that a lot of things keep him awake. One item, however, has been at the top of the list lately.
Musk, who is also one of the founders of OpenAI, is apparently losing sleep over the very technology that is being used to power the research laboratory’s popular ChatGPT chatbot.
When a Tesla influencer asked him on Sunday whether artificial intelligence is the one thing he is “currently losing the most sleep over,” the billionaire tech entrepreneur replied in the affirmative.
Artificial intelligence has been one of the biggest concerns the potential that it can take away jobs from most of the humanity. It is seen as a technology that could end humanity. Musk is not the only one who says AI needs to be in check.
AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton said that with the technology, computers can gain the ability to create improvements for themselves.
“That’s an issue, right. We have to think hard about how you control that,” Hinton said.
Hinton had stated that the consequence of artificial intelligence won’t come to fruition sooner.
“Until quite recently, I thought it was going to be like 20 to 50 years before we have general purpose AI. And now I think it may be 20 years or less,” Hinton predicted. Asked specifically the chances of AI “wiping out humanity,” Hinton said, “I think it’s not inconceivable. That’s all I’ll say.”
Musk had called for the regulation of AI to keep the technology in check as it is being instilled in robots. His creation of the robot, Optimus, is currently in the works. He said that it is possible robots can out number humans with the use of AI.
AI’s advancement has been warned by the Tesla CEO that the technology is a danger to civilization now that ChatGPT has advanced with the use of OpenAI.
Musk also took the opportunity to comment on a video of a 2016 interview in which he talks to OpenAI’s Sam Altman about the need for democratization of the AI technology. During the interview, Musk, at one point, says that no one company or group of individuals should have control over advanced AI technology because it is very dangerous. Should the technology be stolen by bad actors or intelligence agencies, it could result in an unstable situation, he argues. He also makes the case for artificial technology to be made widely available.
The advancement of ChatGPT is expected to influence the public differently to think about technology. Yet, it’s seen as controversial, but currently the technology isn’t under any form of regulation.
Altman had defended his organization and the use of AI in response to Musk’s criticisms on the “On With Kara Swisher” podcast.
“I mean, he’s a jerk, whatever else you want to say about him—he has a style that is not a style that I’d want to have for myself,” Altman said in rebuttal to Musk positioning on AI.
Musk, who severed his ties with OpenAI in Feb. 2018 to avoid conflicts with Tesla’s own AI division, has recently expressed concerns over OpenAI becoming a closed-source company.
“We should need some kind of regulatory authority or something, overseeing AI development and making sure it’s operating within the public interest,” Musk said in keeping AI in check.
OpenAI was founded in Dec. 2015 as an open-source platform to serve as a counterweight to Alphabet, Inc.’s.
“But now it has become a closed-source, maximum-profit company effectively controlled by Microsoft Corp. Not what I intended at all,” Musk tweeted last month.
Altman was interview by ABC News’ Rebecca Jarvis where was shown how the technology works. The OpenAI CEO said that education has to have a different variation in compatibility with AI.
Produced in association with Benzinga
