Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk isn’t shy when suggesting that robots and artificial intelligence (AI) will lead to humanity’s demise. But according to a new tweet, he doesn’t believe that North Korea will be much of a threat, if at all.
Citing Russia President Vladimir Putin’s stance on artificial intelligence — and the benefits for nations mastering the new technology — Musk simply retweeted: “It begins”.
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China, Russia, soon all countries w strong computer science. Competition for AI superiority at national level most likely cause of WW3 imo.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2017
“China, Russia, soon all countries w strong computer science. Competition for AI superiority at national level most likely cause of WW3 imo,” he added in a later tweet, suggesting that this could prompt the globe’s next large scale war.
May be initiated not by the country leaders, but one of the AI’s, if it decides that a prepemptive strike is most probable path to victory
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2017
The war, he continues, might also be invoked by the artificial intelligence itself “if it decides that a prepemptive (sic) strike is most probable path to victory,” he continues.
Elon Musk: North Korea lacks ‘entangling alliances’ that could propel world into war
The thread, unsurprisingly, garnered a slew of attention from Twitter at large. While memes were bounced around, one particular tweeter brought North Korea into the equation.
Musk, however, batted it aside, suggesting that AI causes more of a risk to the planet than the country.
Should be low on our list of concerns for civilizational existential risk. NK has no entangling alliances that wd polarize world into war.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2017
We hope Kim Jong Un doesn’t follow him.
North Korea recently conducted its sixth nuclear test in the country earlier this week, which was noted as a “perfect success” by the country’s internal media.
Feature image: (stephan) via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0, resized)
