Elon Musk warns AI could cause ‘civilization destruction' even as he invests in it

New York CNN

Elon Musk has warned that artificial intelligence can lead to the destruction of civilisations. This is despite his continued involvement in AI growth through many of his companies, and a rumored upcoming venture.

Musk stated in a clip shared by Fox News of his interview, scheduled to air on Monday and Tuesday, that 'AI has the ability -- however small that probability may be, it is not trivial -- that it can destroy civilizations.'

Musk has warned of AI's dangers in recent months, despite the proliferation of AI products aimed at consumers, such as those from Google and Microsoft. Musk signed an open letter last month with a group other tech leaders calling for a 6-month pause on the 'out-of-control' race to develop AI.

Musk, in fact, has been warning about AI for many years. He acknowledged this in a weekend tweet. But he's also played a role in the AI arms race by investing across his vast empire of companies.

Tesla, for instance, is so reliant on artificial intelligence, it holds an annual AI Day to promote its work. Musk is a founder member of OpenAI (the company that produces products like ChatGPT). Musk has stated the evolution of OpenAI was "not what I had intended at all." Musk, in a recent tweet from Twitter, said that he intends to use AI to detect and highlight the manipulation of public opinions on this platform.

Musk has reportedly been working on a generative AI startup to rival OpenAI or ChatGPT. According to people familiar with Musk's plans, the Financial Times reported that Musk was building a team consisting of AI researchers and developers, as well seeking investors for his new venture. The report cites Nevada business records to say that Musk incorporated a new company last month called X.AI.

Musk mentioned this in his Carlson interview, saying 'we're starting something that I call TruthGPT. Musk called it a'maximum-truth-seeking AI that cares about understanding universe'.