2023/11/06  Chinese

Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, left, attends an in-conversation event with Tesla and SpaceX's CEO Elon Musk in London, Thursday, November 2, 2023

Musk was present throughout the two-day event held mainly at Bletchley Park, the headquarters for the Allied Forces codebreaking program during World War II, along with US Vice President Kamala Harris, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and other notable politicians and global tech leaders. Chinese officials were also present at the event.

“I’m glad to see at this point that people are taking AI seriously,” Musk said to Sunak on Thursday. “Thanks for this summit. I think it will go down in history as quite important.”

Musk unpacked several predictions for AI, including a future where no jobs would be necessary and AI companionship would be one of the highest forms of friendship.

Sunak’s AI Summit

The billionaire’s presence at the UK’s summit brought an increased level of media attention to the event that is key to Sunak’s hope for global AI regulation.

Sunak and Musk discussed how digital super-intelligence could affect the public and require regulation the same way industries such as aviation and cars require regulation.

“I agree with the vast majority of regulations,” Musk said. “A referee is a good thing.”

At the same time, Musk reiterated his “fairly utopian” belief that AI could create an “age of abundance” with “no shortage of goods and services.” He says AI could lead to a future where “no job is needed” and people enjoy a universal high income. He mentioned a world of AI tutors and companionship for people like his son who has learning disabilities and difficulty making friends.

The next AI safety summits are set to be hosted by Korea and France and are scheduled for 2024.