In a conversation with Rishi Sunak to close out the UK government’s artificial intelligence safety summit, Elon Musk spoke of a world in which work would be unnecessary but also warned of humanoid robots that “can chase you anywhere”.
The British Prime Minister threw softball questions to the X owner during a 50-minute-long interview after the two-day event at Bletchley Park, which was attended by politicians and experts from around the world.
Mr Musk, whom Mr Sunak described as a “brilliant innovator and technologist”, said “there will come a point where no job is needed” and the only reason people will work will be for their own satisfaction.
He described AI as a “a magic genie” that grants you limitless wishes and will usher in an “age of abundance”.
“One of the future challenges will be how do we find meaning in life if you have a magic genie that can do everything you want,” he said.
“We won’t have universal basic income, we’ll have universal high income, so in some sense it will be somewhat of a leveller or an equaliser because really I think everyone will have access to this magic genie.”
Discussing robots, Mr Musk stressed the need of having an off-switch for humanoid versions that can give chase.
“A humanoid robot can basically chase you anywhere,” the tech entrepreneur said in the talk, which was not broadcast live but will be streamed on X later.
“It’s something we should be quite concerned about. If a robot can follow you anywhere, what if they get a software update one day, and they’re not so friendly any more?”
The Prime Minister said “we’ve all watched” movies about robots that end with the machines being switched off.
The AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park – in pictures
Mr Musk also said the UK “is in a strong position” in developing robots, praising Dyson in particular.
He spoke of the technology’s potential to provide “companionship”, saying it could “know you better than anyone, perhaps even yourself”.
“You will actually have a great friend,” he said and added that one of his sons has “some learning disabilities and has trouble making friends” and “an AI friend would actually be great for him”.
The tech boss supported Mr Sunak’s decision to invite China to his AI summit, saying “if they’re not participants, it’s pointless”.
He also appeared to back the UK’s approach to AI regulation, saying: “If you look at any sports game, there’s always a referee.”
Hours before the conversation with Mr Sunak, Mr Musk posted a picture appearing to criticise the AI safety summit.
The Tesla chief executive shared a cartoon image on his social media platform that appeared to suggest world leaders who attended the gathering were not really concerned about safety but about developing the technology first.
Mr Sunak returned to Whitehall for the conversation with the tech tycoon after wrapping up the two-day gathering held at Bletchley Park, the home of Allied codebreakers during the Second World War.
At a press conference concluding the event, he said the summit would “tip the balance in favour of humanity” after reaching an agreement with technology firms to vet their models before their release.
Asked whether his conversation with Mr Musk would not be live-streamed because Mr Sunak was worried about what the tech entrepreneur might say, the Prime Minister replied: “Elon Musk is someone who has for a long time spoken about AI … I’m delighted that he was attending and participating yesterday.”
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Other must-tries
Tomato and walnut salad
A lesson in simple, seasonal eating. Wedges of tomato, chunks of cucumber, thinly sliced red onion, coriander or parsley leaves, and perhaps some fresh dill are drizzled with a crushed walnut and garlic dressing. Do consider yourself warned: if you eat this salad in Georgia during the summer months, the tomatoes will be so ripe and flavourful that every tomato you eat from that day forth will taste lacklustre in comparison.
Badrijani nigvzit
A delicious vegetarian snack or starter. It consists of thinly sliced, fried then cooled aubergine smothered with a thick and creamy walnut sauce and folded or rolled. Take note, even though it seems like you should be able to pick these morsels up with your hands, they’re not as durable as they look. A knife and fork is the way to go.
Pkhali
This healthy little dish (a nice antidote to the khachapuri) is usually made with steamed then chopped cabbage, spinach, beetroot or green beans, combined with walnuts, garlic and herbs to make a vegetable pâté or paste. The mix is then often formed into rounds, chilled in the fridge and topped with pomegranate seeds before being served.
Buy farm-fresh food
The UAE is stepping up its game when it comes to platforms for local farms to show off and sell their produce.
In Dubai, visit Emirati Farmers Souq at The Pointe every Saturday from 8am to 2pm, which has produce from Al Ammar Farm, Omar Al Katri Farm, Hikarivege Vegetables, Rashed Farms and Al Khaleej Honey Trading, among others.
In Sharjah, the Aljada residential community will launch a new outdoor farmers’ market every Friday starting this weekend. Manbat will be held from 3pm to 8pm, and will host 30 farmers, local home-grown entrepreneurs and food stalls from the teams behind Badia Farms; Emirates Hydroponics Farms; Modern Organic Farm; Revolution Real; Astraea Farms; and Al Khaleej Food.
In Abu Dhabi, order farm produce from Food Crowd, an online grocery platform that supplies fresh and organic ingredients directly from farms such as Emirates Bio Farm, TFC, Armela Farms and mother company Al Dahra.
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The Bio
Favourite Emirati dish: I have so many because it has a lot of herbs and vegetables. Harees (oats with chicken) is one of them
Favourite place to go to: Dubai Mall because it has lots of sports shops.
Her motivation: My performance because I know that whatever I do, if I put the effort in, I’ll get results
During her free time: I like to drink coffee - a latte no sugar and no flavours. I do not like cold drinks
Pet peeve: That with every meal they give you a fries and Pepsi. That is so unhealthy
Advice to anyone who wants to be an ironman: Go for the goal. If you are consistent, you will get there. With the first one, it might not be what they want but they should start and just do it
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
