Elon Musk and Rishi Sunak discuss life's purpose, China, and killer robots

 Elon Musk and Rishi Sunak discuss life's purpose, China, and killer robots

Elon Musk supported China's attendance in the first AI Safety Summit, held at Bletchley Park, England. The summit brought together major corporations and governments to decide on preliminary measures to be taken in managing the dangers associated with advanced AI models.

Billionaire Elon Musk, who spoke with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in London on Thursday, praised Beijing's involvement in artificial intelligence safety and expressed his desire to see Beijing stand with the United States and Britain on the issue.

Musk supported China's attendance in the first AI Safety Summit, held at Bletchley Park, England. The summit brought together major corporations and governments to decide on preliminary measures to be taken in managing the hazards associated with advanced AI models.

"If America as well as the UK and China are aligned on safety, then that is going to turn out to be a good thing, because that's wherever the leadership is generally," he said.

Musk, who was treated like a king when he visited China in May, expressed his happiness that Beijing had taken part in the AI safety discussions at the gathering.

"I genuinely felt that having them here was crucial. It is useless if they are not participants."

On a tiny stage in a gilded chamber at London's Lancaster House, one of the government's most sumptuous facilities, which is often used for diplomatic occasions, Sunak conducted an interview with Musk, who was treated by Britain as a star guest during the two-day summit.

Sunak, a self-described IT nerd, said he was "privileged and excited" to welcome Musk. He also used the opportunity to make a less-than-subtle investment pitch, stating that large incentives were necessary for startup companies to take chances in the industry.

"We very much have a tax mechanism that supports that," Sunak said.

MAGICAL GIRL

Taking into consideration the potential hazards associated with artificial intelligence, the two-day conference concluded with an eclectic conversation held in front of hundreds of other corporate executives who had been invited. This was viewed as a significant step forward in using AI for good.

Musk and Sunak, citing the science fiction film series "The Terminator" and other works of science fiction, agreed that physical "off-switches" could be necessary to prevent robots from dangerously losing control.

"The person turns it off at the end of every movie with the same plot," Sunak said, adding that the significance of physical off switches had been discussed at the summit earlier in the day.

In an interview with Sunak, Musk expressed his belief that artificial intelligence (AI) is "the most disruptive force in history" and hinted that it will eventually "do everything" and eliminate jobs as we know them today.

"I don't know if that makes anybody comfortable or uncomfortable," he said.

It's both positive and negative. "How do we find meaning in life if you have a miraculous genie that can do things you want?" will be one of the difficulties facing us in the future.