ELON Musk told Rishi Sunak on Thursday that artificial intelligence will one day eradicate the need for jobs.
Interviewed by the Prime Minister to conclude the AI Safety Summit, the Tesla boss said that the technology would be able to “do everything” in the future and people would decide to have jobs only if they want to for “personal satisfaction”.
Mr Sunak disagreed – saying he believed “work gives you meaning”.
“We are seeing the most destructive force in history here,” Mr Musk said, before speculating: “There will come a point where no job is needed – you can have a job if you want one for personal satisfaction but AI will do everything.
“It’s both good and bad – one of the challenges in the future will be how do we find meaning in life.”
Mr Musk also called for tax rewards for tech entrepreneurs in Britain to encourage them to start innovative new companies.
The owner of X, formerly known as Twitter, said that robots in the future would be so advanced that they would end up being people’s friends – but warned there would need to be a physical off-switch in case robots went bad.
The comments came after Mr Sunak announced new technology would be tested by spies to ensure it doesn’t threaten national security.
Tech investor and inventor Mr Musk has put money into AI firms and has employed the technology in his driverless Tesla cars – but he’s also on the record about his fears it could threaten society and human existence itself.
“There is a safety concern, especially with humanoid robots – at least a car can’t chase you into a building or up a tree,” he told the audience.
Mr Sunak – who is keen to see investment in the UK’s growing tech industry – replied: “You’re not selling this.
The pair talked about how London was a leading hub for the AI industry and how the technology could transform learning.
