On the occasion of the centenary symposium organised last week by MIT AeroAstro, Elon Musk, founder of the PayPal, SpaceX (Space Launcher) and Tesla Motors (Electric Vehicle) Companies expressed concerns about artificial intelligence (AI): “I think that we must be very cautious about artificial intelligence. If I had to guess what might pose the greatest threat to our existence, I would probably say AI. […] I am more and more inclined to think that there should be a certain level of supervision, perhaps at national and international level, just to make sure that we don’t do anything stupid“.
In early October, during a conference organised by Vanity Fair, Elon Musk stated: “I don’t think anyone realises just how far and how quickly artificial intelligence has advanced“. If the role attributed to the machine “is carried out to the detriment of humanity, the effect will be disastrous“.
The journalist finished off by stating that these fears exposed by Elon Musk raised “genuine questions about the extent of AI”, asking whether: “these rights should be granted to machines?“.
Numerama.com (Julien L.) 27/10/2014