Elon Musk fires back at Zuckerberg on AI dangers

Tesla CEO Elon Musk charged that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has a “limited” understanding of artificial intelligence, continuing a public argument between the two tech moguls on the potential dangers of artificial intelligence.

On Sunday, Zuckerberg said on a Facebook livestream during his 50-state speaking tour that apocalyptic speculation on the future of AI is “irresponsible.”

“I think people who are naysayers and try to drum up these doomsday scenarios — I just, I don’t understand it. It’s really negative and in some ways I actually think it is pretty irresponsible,” Zuckerberg said.

“In the next five to 10 years, AI is going to deliver so many improvements in the quality of our lives,” he continued.

{mosads}The Facebook CEO’s comment came days after Elon Musk made headlines by calling for AI to be regulated before “it’s too late,” saying that the technology “represented a fundamental risk to the existence of civilization.”

Musk shot down Zuckerberg’s credentials on the topic on Twitter, after another Twitter user sent him a link to an article with the Facebook CEO’s comments from Sunday.

“I’ve talked to Mark about this,” Musk said early Tuesday morning in response to the article. “His understanding of the subject is limited.”

Congress has yet to show much interest in regulating AI. Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.), who co-founded the Congressional Artificial Intelligence Caucus, said that the caucus would adopt a wait-and-see approach to AI regulation, presenting a similar optimism about the future of the technology. 

Despite their disagreements on the ultimate impact that AI could have on civilization, Zuckerberg and Musk agree that universal basic income is a potential solution to increased automation driven by AI displacing workers.