AI Will Be Able To Do Everything, Even Your Jobs, Elon Musk Tells Rushi Sunak

Billionaire Elon Musk, in a conversation with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, revealed how AI will also be able to do all our jobs.

Musk made the remarks in a sit-down conversation with Sunak at the end of the UK's AI Safety Summit. The tech multibillionaire was one of the highest-profile attendees at the two-day summit hosted by Sunak to discuss the dangers associated with advanced AI.

Musk defined artificial intelligence as "one of the most disruptive forces in history," adding that there is a probability of it going "bad".

The two men made the remarks during an interview-style conversation at Lancaster House, London. Speaking about the future of AI, Musk said there will come a time when "you can have a job if you want a job for personal satisfaction, but AI will be able to do everything".

"We will have something for the first time that is smarter than the smartest human," he said.

Prime Minister Sunak did not look too comfortable with the idea of people not being able to work. He said: "I am someone who believes work gives you meaning. I think work is a good thing; it gives people purpose in their lives."

Sunak has been a strong proponent of AI and its benefits to humankind. Earlier this year, his government even released a White Paper clarifying its stand on the technology.

His government has also announced fresh funding to utilise artificial intelligence (AI) to address challenges faced by the healthcare sector.

The UK government is investing £100 million in areas where AI could be deployed to deliver breakthrough treatments for incurable diseases. The £100 million allocation is to explore the usage of AI in addressing medical conditions with high death rates and morbidity.

Musk, a supporter of companies like Neuralink and OpenAI, aims to use AI for the benefit of humanity but has also issued a number of warnings regarding the possible risks associated with superintelligence.

The billionaire tech entrepreneur who is keen on building artificial intelligence for a better and safer future believes that AI will be the "best or worst thing for humanity".

He once recommended a book to prepare for a future dominated by the power of artificial intelligence. Written by MIT physicist Max Tegmark, the book provides insight into a future with artificial intelligence and how it will change every aspect of humanity.

He said that AI poses "more risk than North Korea" and even called it a "fundamental risk to the existence of human civilization".

The recent AI Safety Summit hosted by Sunak is also not the first time Musk has claimed that robots will do everything in the future.

In 2017, the SpaceX CEO voiced serious concerns about the risks and dangers that come with AI at a bipartisan gathering of US governors.

"When I say everything, the robots will do everything, bar nothing," he said. "The first order of business would be to try to learn as much as possible, to understand the nature of the issues, to look closely at the progress that is being made and the remarkable achievements of artificial intelligence".

He even outlined some of the hypothetical situations in which AI could prove to be a threat.

"[They] could start a war by doing fake news and spoofing email accounts and fake press releases, and just by manipulating information. The pen is mightier than the sword," Musk said. "Once there is awareness, people will be extremely afraid, as they should be".

Earlier this year, Musk joined thousands of people in signing a letter calling for a six-month pause in the development of systems more powerful than OpenAI's recently launched GPT-4.

With over 27,000 signatures, the letter suggests that AI companies should halt the development of powerful AI systems until it is confirmed that their effects will be positive. Geoffrey Hinton, who is known as the "Godfather of AI", quit his job at Google and warned people of the dangers posed by these extremely intelligent technologies.

Likewise, American business magnate Bill Gates believes AI chatbots could oust human teachers soon and could lead to job losses in other sectors as well.