Elon Musk has long been a vocal critic of the dangers of artificial intelligence. According to his own book, “Empire of AI”, he met with Sam Altman, the founder of OpenAI, in 2015 to discuss the potential risks and benefits of AI on humanity. The two men shared similar concerns about the rapid development of AI, which Musk had described as a “biggest existential threat” to humanity.
Musk’s concerns were sparked by his meeting with Demis Hassabis, the CEO of DeepMind Technologies, in 2012. Hassabis warned that superintelligent AI could pose a threat to humanity, and Musk took action by investing $5 million in the company to keep tabs on its progress. Later, at a debate with Google’s Larry Page, Musk expressed his concerns about AI surpassing human intelligence, which led him to become an outspoken advocate for regulating AI.
Altman, who shares similar views on the need to govern and develop AI responsibly, has been instrumental in Musk’s efforts to raise awareness about the potential dangers of AI. The two men have a deep mutual respect, with Altman having described Musk as a “childhood hero” after visiting his SpaceX factory in California.
Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/book-excerpt-empire-of-ai-by-karen-hao-artificial-intelligence-sam-altman-openai