Musk: AI may have catastrophic consequences, the first human brain-computer interface trial will be conducted this year

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①Musk reiterated that more measures must be taken to limit the development of artificial intelligence technology, which may have "catastrophic consequences" for humans.

②Musk said that the vast majority of old users have found that the experience of using the Twitter website has improved, and advertisers have returned or are returning.

③ Musk predicts that his brain-computer interface company Neuralink is expected to perform the first brain implant later this year.

④Musk believes that the market value of electric car manufacturer Tesla is directly related to its ability to solve the autonomous driving problem.

Tencent Technology News Elon Musk (Elon Musk) recently accepted an exclusive interview with more than 4,000 technology fans at the VivaTech Conference in Paris. In this interview, Musk talked about artificial intelligence regulation, human trials of the brain-computer interface company Neuralink, changes to the Twitter website, and how to maintain the growth of Tesla's market value.

AI without supervision will lead to "catastrophic consequences"

Musk believes that artificial intelligence "may be the most disruptive technology ever", but he once again sounded the alarm on the dangers artificial intelligence poses to mankind, that the development of super artificial intelligence may have "potentially catastrophic consequences." , he also mentioned that artificial intelligence may wipe out human beings. But he added that he thought such an outcome was unlikely but would need to be actively avoided.

Musk warned that more must be done to limit the technology's development or risk a catastrophe. Regulations are needed to prevent artificial intelligence from evolving into something uncontrollable, with the technology potentially having "catastrophic consequences" for humans.

Musk admitted: "I think there is a real possibility of negative dangers from digital superintelligence, and I support regulation of it."

For a long time, Musk has always been interested in the future of artificial intelligence, both investing in artificial intelligence technology and warning of the existential dangers that artificial intelligence may bring.

Musk's latest warnings echo those he issued in March in an online petition signed by more than 1,000 other technologists and researchers. The petition warned at the time that unfettered AI systems with intelligence rivaling humans would pose a "catastrophic risk to society" and called for a moratorium on OpenAI's development of more powerful AI systems.

In addition to voluntarily halting development, Musk and others have also called on the government to actively intervene. If OpenAI doesn't stop development, the government should force it to pause. Musk reiterated this point at Viva Tech, reiterating his support for regulation because of the risks it poses to the public.

Overall, Musk predicted that AI is "likely" to bring about positive outcomes, including creating an "era of abundance" in terms of access to goods and services. But he said that should not be taken for granted.

"It's not all possible outcomes," Musk said. "We need to minimize the possibility of digital superintelligence going wrong."

Musk was one of the founders of artificial intelligence startup OpenAI, the creator of the chatbot ChatGPT, before Musk quit the company amid a power struggle. Earlier this year, he launched a new company called X.AI, which he says will be a truth-seeking artificial intelligence model that will one day understand the universe.

Improved Twitter experience for most users

Warnings about the risks of artificial intelligence were just part of Musk's appearance at the Paris conference. He also articulated a broader vision of the future as part of his discovery of a "core philosophy of the meaning of life". He links this pursuit to his advocacy of sustainable energy to fight global climate change and expand the possibilities of space exploration through his company SpaceX.

When asked how Twitter fit into this framework, Musk again said that** he acquired Twitter purely out of a desire to protect free speech and channel it into a "positive force for civilization." **In May, Musk appointed former NBC Universal executive Linda Yaccarino (Linda Yaccarino) as Twitter's CEO, but he will remain Twitter's owner.

Musk said he bought Twitter because the social network was having a "corrosive effect" on civil society that he hoped to improve.

"My hope is to change that and make it good for civilization," he said at the VivaTech conference. Musk also said he believes most longtime Twitter users will find their experience with the site has improved.

Musk also expressed optimism about new CEO Jaccarino's ability to lure advertisers back. Twitter usage is at an all-time high and "almost all advertisers say they're either back or will be back," he said.

After Musk took over, advertisers began fleeing the platform because they feared their ads would appear next to inappropriate content. In March, Musk said Twitter ad revenue had dropped 50% since October. The company recently lost two executives responsible for ensuring that the site moderates violence, hate speech, pornography and other content that businesses would prefer not to promote their products on its site.

Musk hopes Jacarino can help improve Twitter's relationship with brand customers. He said Jacarino would "very well" handle "advertisers' concerns about advertising on social networks."

However, Musk is clearly worried about spending a huge $44 billion to acquire Twitter. He joked: "If I'm smart enough, why pay so much money to buy Twitter?"

Neuralink's first brain implant surgery will be performed this year

Musk also predicted that Neuralink, his brain-computer interface company, is expected to perform the first brain implant later this year. **Musk, who previously complained about "slow" progress, said the goal was to restore full-body function to paralyzed people.

At the VivaTech event, Musk confirmed that Neuralink plans to implant a brain implant into the brain of a quadriplegic patient during a webcast. While Musk didn't specify how many patients the company would be implanted with or for how long, he said: "It looks like the first case will be operated on later this year."

Last month, Neuralink said it had received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct human clinical trials. It's a key milestone for the startup, which is facing investigations in the U.S. for its handling of animal testing. The FDA earlier acknowledged in a statement that the agency approved Neuralink for trials using its brain implants and surgical robots, but declined to provide further details.

Experts had earlier predicted that if Neuralink could prove that its device was safe in the human body, it would still be several years, possibly more than a decade, before the start-up could be licensed for commercial use. The company is also competing with other neurotech companies that have already implanted their devices in humans.

However, Musk has previously missed the expected timeline in his public statements about Neuralink. **Since 2019, Musk has predicted at least four times that Neuralink will soon start human trials, but none of them have come true. **

Founded in 2016, Neuralink first sought FDA approval in early 2022, but the FDA rejected its application, citing dozens of safety concerns. Some of these issues relate to the lithium batteries used in the implants, the potential for the implant's wires to travel in the brain, and the challenge of safely extracting the device without damaging brain tissue.

After Neuralink's animal experiments were exposed, it was reviewed by federal regulators. Last year, Neuralink employees claimed that the company was rushing to perform surgeries on monkeys, pigs and sheep, resulting in unnecessary deaths of many of the animals as Musk pressured employees to get FDA approval as soon as possible. The data generated by the animal experiments is intended to support the company's application for human trials, the sources said.

In one instance in 2021, Neuralink implanted 25 of the wrong-sized devices in 60 pigs. Subsequently, all pigs are slaughtered. The mistake could have been easily avoided with more preparation, employees said.

The U.S. Department of Transportation is separately investigating whether Neuralink was illegally shipping chips removed from monkey brains, which may have contained dangerous pathogens, without taking appropriate steps. An agency spokesman said the investigation is still ongoing.

Neuralink is also under investigation by the USDA Office of the Inspector General for possible animal welfare violations.

Meanwhile, Neuralink's valuation has continued to soar in recent months. The startup, which was valued at nearly $2 billion in a private funding round two years ago, is now valued at about $5 billion. Neuralink stock held by some employees has risen by about 150% in just two years. The company's employees, who sit on Neuralink's animal board, which is under scrutiny by federal agencies for potential financial conflicts, will benefit from the technology's rapid development, it is understood.

Tesla market value will be determined by self-driving technology

In addition to Twitter, Neuralink, and SpaceX, Musk is also the CEO of Tesla. He told Antoine, the son of Louis Vuitton boss Bernard Arnault at the VivaTech conference, that the electric carmaker's market value is directly tied to its ability to solve the self-driving problem

Anthony mentioned Tesla's market capitalization (approximately $827 billion) and joked that it was higher than the entire Louis Vuitton group. Musk responded by saying that he knew little about Tesla’s stock price movements. "Valuations are a weird thing," Musk said. "Sometimes I'll say, 'Hey, I think Tesla's stock price is too high,' and the stock price will go up. All I can say is, 'Okay. Bar'!"

But Musk also said that **Tesla's market value is related to the company's ability to perfect self-driving technology. ** He said: "The value of the company is largely based on autonomous driving. If you look at our total car production this year, it's almost 2 million, but that's still only 2% of the total global car production .”

The CEO continued: "The potential of autonomous driving is that the value is so high that even if you discount the possibility of autonomous driving eventually being realized, it is very valuable."

Musk also reiterated the idea of Tesla owners turning their cars into self-driving taxis, an idea he has said will happen in 2020. Musk has said for several years that Tesla is close to solving the self-driving problem, but the company's cars still only offer advanced driver assistance features. (Golden Deer)