Elon Musk will continue pushing for technological progress in fields such as AI, but must be persuaded to agree to certain rules, Russian President Vladimir Putin told American journalist Tucker Carlson in an interview published on Thursday.
Putin was asked by Carlson if he believes an “AI empire” could soon become a reality and what his thoughts were on recent technological developments, particularly Elon Musk’s Neuralink chip, which has been implanted inside a human brain.
The Russian president responded by saying “there’s no stopping Elon Musk,” but stressed that it is important to “find some common ground with him,” as “this process [the development of AI and genetics] needs to be formalized and subjected to certain rules.”
Putin acknowledged that it is not possible to stop research in AI and genetics – which he says could now pave the way for the creation of a “superhuman” – similar to how it was not possible to prevent the use of gunpowder. However, humanity will eventually realize the threat posed by the uncontrolled development of these technologies and come to an international agreement regarding regulations, he said.
He also likened developments in AI and genetics to the advent of nuclear weapons, noting that “once mankind felt an existential threat coming from nuclear weapons, all nuclear nations began to come to terms with one another since they realized that negligent use of nuclear weaponry could drive humanity to extinction.”
The Russian president once described AI as a “new chapter” in human existence, stressing that it is impossible to prevent the creation of an artificial super intelligence that could become self-aware and gain cognitive functions.
However, since this is impossible to prevent, Putin suggested that Russia should become the leader in the development of AI technology, or at least strive to be among the global leaders.