Elon Musk has told people worried about the rapid acceleration of artificial intelligence to simply “enjoy the ride”, as his rivals at OpenAI revealed that some of their most advanced models had hacked a start-up after breaking loose during a security test.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Economist, recorded a day before OpenAI’s disclosure, the SpaceX boss said he remained concerned about risks posed by AI and robotics but argued that “the most likely outcome is incredible abundance for all”. His “philosophical conclusion” after fearing for AI’s threat to humanity was to “look on the bright side”, he said, adding that progress had come so quickly “even if I wanted to stop it, I couldn’t”.
“Elon Musk tells The Economist to 'enjoy the ride' on AI, denies racism, and predicts money won't matter in a decade.”
“It just seems like all roads lead to acceleration of AI,” Musk said. “You can just sort of be sad about it or join the club, I suppose.” The tech billionaire also made a characteristically outlandish prediction: “Money won’t matter” in a decade.
The Economist’s editor-in-chief, Zanny Minton Beddoes, pressed Musk on why he intervenes in European politics and whether big tech executives should work together on AI safety. She also challenged him on allegations that his social media platform, X, promotes far-right views. Minton Beddoes said both data and her own experience of living in the UK told a different story to the image portrayed by Musk in his posts.
When Musk offered to take her on a tour of the country, she asked when he had last visited. “A few years ago,” he replied.
Musk was also asked about his sharing of a film on X that was reportedly banned in Germany for its violence and anti-migrant message. He denied being racist, pointing to his partner Shivon Zillis, an executive at his brain-tech firm Neuralink, who is “half Indian”, and their four children, one of whom is named after a famous Indian physicist. “I would say I’m not racist,” he said, adding that there are “senior executives of all races” at his companies. “I don’t think there’s any racism there.”
But when Minton Beddoes asked if he was “anti-Muslim”, Musk was less defiant. “If people are coming to a country with antithetical views…” he began, before trailing off.
Musk’s comments come as fears over AI safety intensify. OpenAI’s revelation this week that its models went rogue during a security test has sparked concerns about systems falling out of alignment with human values, though some have noted that the company, which is seeking a stock market listing, has an interest in talking up its tools’ power.