Independent essays and ideasEuropean Edition
Leadership

Elon Musk: AI Poses ‘Vastly More Risk Than North Korea’

While many in the United States are watching as tensions grow with North Korea, Elon Musk is warning people about artificial intelligence

2017 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Graydon Carter

As many in the United States and abroad are watching as tensions grow with North Korea, Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk issued a warning about artificial intelligence.

“If you’re not concerned about AI safety, you should be. Vastly more risk than North Korea,” Musk tweeted Friday, referencing Kim Jong Un’s threat of a missile strike on Guam.

The tweet also included a photo that reads, “In the end the machines will win.”

Musk also warned that artificial intelligence should be regulated the same way anything that could pose a danger to the public is.

This is not the first time Musk has warned people about AI.

Just last month, he called it a “fundamental existential risk for human civilization,” prompting Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to publicly disagree.

But Musk isn’t alone. Bill Gates and Stephen Hawking have also issued warnings regarding AI.

If you're not concerned about AI safety, you should be. Vastly more risk than North Korea. pic.twitter.com/2z0tiid0lc

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2017

If you're not concerned about AI safety, you should be. Vastly more risk than North Korea. pic.twitter.com/2z0tiid0lc

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2017

Nobody likes being regulated, but everything (cars, planes, food, drugs, etc) that's a danger to the public is regulated. AI should be too.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2017

Nobody likes being regulated, but everything (cars, planes, food, drugs, etc) that's a danger to the public is regulated. AI should be too.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2017

Musk is the founder of OpenAI, which is a non-profit promoting responsible development of artificial intelligence through research and an emphasis on ethics.