Elon Musk joined other tech luminaries for a private summit with U.S. senators on Wednesday, where he warned of the “civilizational risk” that artificial intelligence poses to our society.
Following the gathering, Musk spoke briefly with a throng of reporters, telling them he believes “there is some chance that is above zero that AI will kill us all.”
“I think it’s low,” he added, “but if there’s some chance, I think we should also consider the fragility of human civilization.”
The tech billionaire and “X” owner also said he supported the creation of a federal agency designed to oversee — and protect against — the proliferation of AI.
“The consequences of AI going wrong are severe so we have to be proactive rather than reactive,” Musk told reporters.
The closed-door meeting, officially dubbed the AI Insight Forum, was the first of its kind, and sought insight from the likes of Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, who all gathered at the Capitol to discuss the priorities and risks surrounding artificial intelligence and how it should be regulated.
Zuckerberg released a prepared statement during the meeting, saying he agreed “that Congress should engage with AI to support innovation and safeguards.”
Sam Altman, the CEO of ChatGPT parent company OpenAI, echoed the need for government leadership on the matter and “unanimity” that this is “urgent.”
The event was hosted by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sens. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., Todd Young, R-Ind., and Martin Heinrich, D-N.M, with further discussion sessions planned for later this year.
