Why did Musk invest in Deep Mind despite risks to human settlements on Mars?

Musk invested in Hassabis' AI company to learn more about the technology
Elon Musk attends the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre in Paris, France, June 16, 2023. — Reuters
Elon Musk attends the Viva Technology conference dedicated to innovation and startups at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre in Paris, France, June 16, 2023. — Reuters

Demis Hassabis, cofounder of Deep Mind, secured an investment from Elon Musk after highlighting flaws in Musk's plans to colonise Mars.

According to a report published by The New York Times on Sunday, Musk was discussing these plans with Hassabis in 2012 after giving him a tour of SpaceX.

The publication added that Musk views Mars as a solution to threats facing humanity on Earth, Business Insider quoted the report.

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Hassabis pointed out that the plan might work if artificial intelligence (AI) wasn't involved in the trip to Mars, as AI could jeopardise the survival of human colonies on Mars.

Musk, along with Peter Thiel, invested in Hassabis' AI company to learn more about the technology. Google later acquired Deep Mind in 2014 for $500 million.

Being a vocal critic of AI dangers, he expressed concerns about AI during Tesla's investor day in March.

Over time, Musk has started openly expressing concerns about the risks associated with the technology. In March, during Tesla's investor day, Musk shared with a shareholder that he was "a little worried about AI stuff."

"I think it's something we should be concerned about. 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 then.

Announced in July, Musk also has his own AI startup, xAI, whose new chatbot he unveiled in November called Grok, developed as a competitor to OpenAI's ChatGPT.

The company aims to advance humanity's "collective understanding of the universe," stated Musk’s own xAI website.