Elon Musk, speaking in an interview with The Economist, says artificial intelligence (AI) could surpass the combined intelligence of all humans within the next five years, describing the pace of AI development as unstoppable and likely to usher in an era of unprecedented abundance.
Musk said AI would outperform humans in virtually every task except being human. He stressed that while risks remain, including the possibility of catastrophic consequences, he no longer believes there is a realistic way to halt AI’s advancement. He added that society must adapt to the shift rather than attempt to stop its progress.
“I think AI may exceed the sum of human intelligence in around five years. There really won’t be anything that AI can’t do better than humans, apart from being human, perhaps” – Musk
Musk said the most likely outcome is a future of amazing abundance, where AI and robotics make goods and services widely accessible.
To improve AI safety, Musk proposed that leading AI companies should hold regular meetings to discuss security concerns and allow competitors early access to evaluate powerful new AI models before they are released.
Jephte Ioudom, founder of software consultancy FoubsLabs, countered Musk’s claim arguing that while AI will make significant advances over the next five years, it is unlikely to surpass the complexity and diversity of human intelligence.
