Elon Musk warns that AI will eliminate the need for jobs

Terming AI as "one of the most disruptive forces in history," Musk said that there will come a point when no jobs are needed.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk has long warned against the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI), and in a sit-down interview with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, he touched upon one of the greatest fears associated with the technology: its impact on jobs.

Terming AI as "one of the most disruptive forces in history, "Musk said that there will come a point when no jobs are needed.

“It’s hard to say exactly what that moment is, but there will come a point where no job is needed. You can have a job if you wanted to have a job for personal satisfaction. But the AI would be able to do everything,” Musk said.

"It’s both good and bad. One of the challenges in future will be how do we find meaning in life," he added.

AI discussion with @RishiSunak
pic.twitter.com/f5FHGQzE4r

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 2, 2023

The magic genie problem

During the interview, Musk compared AI to a magic genie, warning that fairy tales with magic genies that grant wishes "don't end well."

"If you have a magic genie that grants you wishes, usually those stories don't end well. Be careful what you wish for, including wishes," he said.

Musk, who served as an initial board member of ChatGPT creator OpenAI, has previously called for a six-month pause on the development of new artificial intelligence. He launched his own AI company, xAI, in July this year.

Referee for AI

Musk said that regulations on the emerging technology will be "annoying, but necessary." He compared them to having a referee in a game, saying that it is a good thing to have someone to keep things fair and safe.

“The government needs to be a referee to ensure public safety, but on balance AI will be a force for good," he added.

During a press conference after the two-day AI Safety Summit, Sunak said that companies should not be expected to “mark their own homework” on the safety of AI.

“Do I think companies have a general moral responsibility? Yes... but I think they’ve also agreed that governments do have to play that role... Fundamentally, it’s only the governments that can test the security implications,” he said.

The Tesla and X (formerly Twitter) chief also said it would be important to have a physical “off switch” in future to stop AI going wrong.

"China is crucial"

Musk expressed support for China's involvement in AI safety discussions, and said he hoped to see Beijing's approach aligned with those of the UK and the US.

"If China is not on board with AI safety, it is somewhat of a moot situation. The single biggest objection to such AI regulation and safety controls is that 'China is not going to do it', and they will jump into the lead and exceed us all," Musk said.

"But China is willing to wait for AI safety. When I was in China earlier, the biggest discussions there was around AI safety," he said, adding that if Beijing is not a participant then it is pointless.