Elon Musk: AI poses major threat to humanity

Billionaire says AI was an “existential risk” because humans were faced with something “that is going to be far more intelligent than us”

Despite his fears over the rise of AI, Elon Musk said 'we can aspire to guide it in a direction that's beneficial to humanity'. Reuters

Artificial intelligence could spell the end of humanity, Elon Musk warned at the world’s first summit on AI safety.

The billionaire said he believes the technology poses an “existential risk” because it will be the first time in history that humans will have faced anything more intelligent than themselves.

He issued the stark warning on Wednesday at the event at Bletchley Park, where British codebreakers, including Alan Turing, used early forms of computer intelligence to break the Enigma code used by the Nazis during the Second World War.

Delegates agreed on a world-first statement – the Bletchley Declaration on AI Safety - which warned of "particular safety risks" at the frontier of general-purpose AI that can perform a wide variety of tasks.

In total, 27 government representatives are attending the summit, including from the UAE, Canada, China, France, Germany, the US and India. US Vice President Kamala Harris made a separate speech in London calling for AI to be used "in service of the public interest" and warning it was capable of both "profound good" and "profound harm".

"I think AI is one of the biggest threats [to humans],” Mr Musk said while attending the summit organised by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

"We have for the first time the situation where we have something that is going to be far smarter than the smartest human.

"We're not stronger or faster than other creatures but we are more intelligent and here we are for the first time, really in human history, with something that is going to be far more intelligent than us.

"It's not clear to me if we can control such a thing but I think we can aspire to guide it in a direction that's beneficial to humanity.

"But I do think it's one of the existential risks that we face and it is potentially the most pressing one if you look at the timescale and rate of advancement – the summit is timely and I applaud the Prime Minister for holding it."

Mr Musk added that he hoped the two-day summit could be used to establish an "international consensus" on insight into AI, so that a "third-party referee" could be established in the sector "who can observe what leading AI companies are doing and at least sound the alarm if they have concerns".

His comments came amid concerns raised by King Charles in a video message opening the two-day summit, who said AI poses opportunities but also "significant risks" that must be addressed urgently.

He likened the "rapid rise of powerful artificial intelligence" to the world's greatest scientific breakthroughs and spoke of its transformational potential.

The AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park - in pictures

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak greets US Vice President Kamala Harris on the second day of the UK's Artificial Intelligence Safety Summit at Bletchley Park. Getty Images

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly talks to an attendee. The summit is being attended by industry leaders and government officials. PA

Mr Sunak speaks with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. AFP

Mr Sunak welcomes Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. PA

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres with Mr Sunak. Getty Images

Mr Sunak arrives at Bletchley Park on day two of the summit. EPA

Michelle Donelan, front centre, UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with international digital ministers at the start of the AI Safety Summit. Getty Images

King Charles III addresses delegates in a recorded video message. AP

Ukraine's Deputy Minister for Digital Transformation, Georgii Dubynskyi, speaks to Elon Musk, owner of SpaceX, Tesla and X. Reuters

Ms Donelan with Omar Al Olama, UAE Minister of State for AI, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications. AP

US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. Getty Images

Mr Musk attends the first plenary session of the AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park. PA

Ms Donelan greets Georgii Dubynskyi, Ukraine's Deputy Minister for Digital Transformation. PA

Wu Zhaohui, China's vice minister of science and technology, addresses the AI Safety Summit. Bloomberg

Bletchley Park, home of Britain's codebreakers during the Second World War, on the first day of the AI Safety Summit. Getty Images

In footage recorded at Buckingham Palace before he left for his state visit to Kenya, the king said: "We are witnessing one of the greatest technological leaps in the history of human endeavour.

"The rapid rise of powerful artificial intelligence is considered by many of the greatest thinkers of our age to be no less significant, no less important, than the discovery of electricity, the splitting of the atom, the creation of the worldwide web, or even the harnessing of fire."

He added: "AI holds the potential to completely transform life as we know it to help us better treat, and perhaps even cure, conditions like cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's; to hasten our journey towards net zero and realise a new era of potentially limitless clean, green energy – even just to help us make our everyday lives a bit easier.

"However, if we are to realise the untold benefits of AI, then we must work together on combating its significant risks too."

King Charles thanked those attending for laying the foundation for a consensus to ensure "this immensely powerful technology is, indeed, a force for good in this world".

He said transitions such as AI always presented "profound challenges, especially in preparing for unintended consequences".

Earlier, the UK's Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Michelle Donelan, said the summit would open the door to a new age of AI.

Bletchley Park - in pictures

Bletchley Park, pictured in 1926, became the centre of allied code-breaking activities during the Second World War, where Germany's Enigma and Lorenz codes, both considered unbreakable, were deciphered. All photos: Getty Images

The machine room in hut six of Bletchley Park in 1943. Cryptographers at the centre intercepted and deciphered top-secret military communiques between Hitler and his armed forces

The control panels of Colossus, the world's first electronic programmable computer, at Bletchley Park in 1943. Codebreakers at Bletchley cracked Germany's Lorenz code with the help of Colossus

The intercept control room in hut six at Bletchley Park in 1943

Queen Elizabeth II presses the button to start the enigma codebreaking machine as Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and wartime operator Ruth Bourne look on during a visit to Bletchley Park in 2011

Former 'Wrens' and Colossus operators at Bletchley Park in 2016

Jacqui Garrad, the commercial director at The National Museum of Computing, demonstrates how Colossus was used

The Enigma coding machine that was used by the Germans during the Second World War