Elon Musk Forecasts A “10%-20% Chance” Of AI-Related Global Disaster — Cannes Lions

Elon Musk believes that AI will change the world “radically” as soon as the next couple of years, and has predicted the chance of AI-related disaster at “10 to 20%.”

Musk, speaking at Cannes Lions on Wednesday morning, said: “I tend to agree with Geoff Hinton – one of the godfathers of AI – and he thinks there’s a 10-20% probability of something terrible happening.”

Musk didn’t specify what he meant by “terrible”, instead adding: “The glass is 80% full. Look on the bright side.”

He went on: “I think the most likely outcome is one of abundance, where goods and services are available to anyone. There’s no shortage for any one of us. It would be a universal hike. Work would be optional.”

This could bring with it, he added, “a crisis of meaning.”

“If AI can do everything you can do but better, what’s the point of doing things? I think there will be an existential crisis,” said the X owner.

Speaking of the “worst case scenario” – possible human annihilation by AI, Musk pondered: “Would I want to be around to see it? Probably, yes.”

He reflected that we are “at the most interesting time in history” and then repeated this at the end of the packed auditorium when he told the room, “Enjoy the ride.”

Musk sat down at Cannes Lions with Mark Read, CEO of WPP, for a wide-ranging talk on subjects including the transformative power of technological innovation, how AI is reshaping creativity, business and society, and the future of his social media platform. Others to have spoken include Chrissy Teigen and Queen Latifah.