Tech Desk 
Apr 01, 2024
Tesla CEO Elon Musk on Monday chimed in about the risks of artificial intelligence. During a four-day Abundance Summit, he acknowledged it's not all sunshine and rainbows, there's a chance, maybe a 10-20% shot, that AI could turn sour for humanity. But even with that possibility on the table, he believes the potential benefits outweigh the risks.
“I think there's some chance that it will end humanity. I probably agree with Geoff Hinton that it's about 10% or 20% or something like that. I think that the probable positive scenario outweighs the negative scenario,” the billionaire said.
The 52-year-CEO also raised an eyebrow at the summit, saying that in just a few years, by 2030, AI could surpass human intelligence.
That's why, he argued, we need to tread carefully with this powerful tech. He likened it to raising a super-bright child – you gotta make sure they learn good values. In his view, that means instilling a sense of truthfulness and a thirst for knowledge in AI. Basically, we need to make sure super-smart AI uses its power for good.
"You kind of grow an AGI. It's almost like raising a kid, but one that's like a super genius, like a God-like intelligence kid — and it matters how you raise the kid," he said, adding, "One of the things I think that's incredibly important for AI safety is to have a maximum sort of truth-seeking and curious AI.”
Musk further said that his plan to keep AI safe is simple: “make sure AI always tells the truth as if once AI learns to tell lies, it's hard to stop.”
