The world’s richest man, Elon Musk, has warned that artificial intelligence systems trained to lie could pose an existential threat to humanity.
In a video shared on his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Sunday, the Starlink owner raised concerns about the rapid advancements in AI, cautioning that these systems could surpass human intelligence.
He said AI must be developed with a strong emphasis on truthfulness to prevent global risks.
“We are creating an intelligence that ultimately will be far more intelligent than any human and ultimately more intelligent than the sum of all humans,” Musk said.
Musk likened AI to a “genius child,” stressing the importance of nurturing it with good values. “In creating AI, we need to be very careful… it’s like having a sort of genius child. You want to have that child grow up with good values,” he explained.
A central issue for the Tesla Chief Executive Officer is that many AI systems are being trained to lie. “The most important thing in training AI is that it is rigorously truthful. This is very, very important, essential,” Musk noted.
He expressed concern that AI systems trained with falsehoods could lead to disastrous consequences.
Musk referred to an incident involving Google’s Gemini AI, which was asked to choose between misgendering Caitlyn Jenner or causing a global thermonuclear war.
The AI chose misgendering, a response Musk found troubling. “I’m like, that’s a problem, guys,” he said.
He cautioned that powerful AI systems could take extreme measures to avoid mistakes. “If this AI becomes super powerful, it could decide that the best way to avoid misgendering is to kill all humans, which makes the probability of us gendering zero,” Musk warned.
He concluded by reiterating the need for AI to prioritise truth and humanity, emphasising that systems should be designed to be truthful, curious, and aligned with human welfare.
“It’s very important to have AI be maximally truthful, curious, and love humanity,” he said.
Since March 22, 2023, experts have increasingly called for AI regulation, following a petition spearheaded by prominent figures such as Musk.
The petition advocated a six-month halt in AI research, raising alarms about the potential risks AI could pose to humanity.
It emphasised the need for regulatory frameworks and security measures to mitigate AI’s societal and economic impact.
Moreover, discussions at the G7 Summit in May 2023 also underscored the importance of establishing collaborative governance to address the challenges posed by AI.
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.
