Elon Musk Warns of AI Risks & Wants a ‘Third Horse’ to Take on Bard and ChatGPT

Speaking at the Wall Street Journal CEO Summit, Elon Musk talked about the risks associated with AI and said that there should be a “third horse in the race” that can take on ChatGPT and Google Bard.

“There is a risk that advanced AI either eliminates or constrains humanity’s growth,” said Musk speaking at the event.

The billionaire added, “I don’t think AI will try to destroy all of humanity, but it might put us under strict control.”

He warned that “It’s a small likelihood of annihilating humanity, but it’s not zero,” while adding there is a “non-zero chance of [AI] going full ‘Terminator’.”

To be sure, Musk has warned of AI risks before also and termed it “dangerous.” He has been lobbying aggressively for AI regulations and in April met Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and other US lawmakers to discuss AI regulations.

After his meeting, the White House courted CEOs of OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, and Anthropic – where they discussed AI with Vice President Kamala Harris.

Last week, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman testified before the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on privacy, technology, and the law – where lawmakers grilled him on AI risks.

While tech companies are investing aggressively in AI – both through building their own capabilities as well as by investing in AI startups – regulators are getting wary of the technology.

Elon Musk Warns of AI Risks

Notably, Musk has often criticized government interference and during the COVID-19 pandemic, he even defied the authorities to open Tesla’s Freemont plant.

The Tesla CEO meanwhile has a different stance when it comes to AI and wants an “insight committee” comprising both external experts and government officials.

Meanwhile, even as Musk talked about AI risks, he is also foraying into the business and has reportedly started hiring AI engineers for his startup “TruthGPT.”

During the interview, Musk talked about the need for more competition in generative AI and said “There should be a significant third horse in the race,” alluding to ChatGPT and Google Bard.

Notably, while Musk was among the co-founders of ChatGPT’s parent company OpenAI the two have since fallen out.

Musk has not only disassociated himself from OpenAI but has criticized it multiple times and went as far as saying that Microsoft “effectively controls” OpenAI.

Earlier this month, Musk reiterated his views and said that while Microsoft might not directly control OpenAI, it has “a very strong say” in the company – a claim refuted by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella who said that Microsoft has a “non-controlling stake” in OpenAI.

Relations between Microsoft and Musk have also gone south and Musk’s lawyer sent Microsoft a letter accusing the company of misusing Twitter API.

Social media platform Twitter sent a letter to Microsoft's CEO accusing Microsoft of misusing Twitter's data, using Twitter data beyond the limits agreed in the agreement, and sharing some of it with government agencies without permission. pic.twitter.com/rKorB824st

— Olympus_official (@Olympus_OT) May 19, 2023

Musk Wants a Third Player to Take on ChatGPT and Bard

Notably, Musk has often talked up Tesla’s AI capabilities and said that no other automaker comes closer in competition.

At the investor day earlier this month, Musk said, “I think Tesla will have sort of a ChatGPT moment, if not this year, I’d say no later than next year.”

That said, timelines are not something that Musk has strictly adhered to in the past – as the robotaxis and fully autonomous Tesla cars are running years behind schedule – even as Tesla continues to call its software “full self-driving.”

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