Elon Musk mocks politicians at AI summit ahead of interview

‘Sigh’, SpaceX and Twitter boss posted on his own platform

Elon Musk has mocked politicians at the AI summit ahead of a headlining interview with Rishi Sunak.

Mr Musk is one of the most high-profile guests at the UK’s AI Safety Summit, which the government hopes will lead to new responsible uses of artificial intelligence and highlight Britain’s role in developing it.

But he appeared to doubt the motivations of many of the attendees – suggesting in a tweet that they were hiding ulterior motives for their concern around AI.

Hours before Mr Musk was due to close out the summit in an interview with Mr Sunak, and after two days of discussions, he used his own platform to post a cartoon suggesting that attendees were really concerned about building the technology for themselves.

Many of the government representatives attending the summit have expressed concern that artificial intelligence could pose a major risk to citizens. But they have largely opposed stopping development of the technology, instead proposing regulations and restrictions on how it can proceed.

Mr Musk is one of around 100 guests at the summit, which includes representatives from 27 countries as well as private sector technology companies and civic society groups.

On Tuesday, just before the summit began, Rishi Sunak announced on Twitter that the summit would close with an interview with Mr Musk.

The Tesla and SpaceX boss has been critical of the development of artificial intelligence, suggesting that it is one of the biggest threats facing humanity.

He said it was an “existential risk” because humans for the first time were faced with something “that is going to be far more intelligent than us”.

Ahead of the second day of the summit, Rishi Sunak said the task of monitoring the risks posed by AI could not be left to tech firms alone.

He warned companies could not be left to “mark their own homework” in an interview with the BBC, against a backdrop of concerns about the technology’s potential capabilities.

In a statement ahead of Thursday’s agenda, he said: “I believe there will be nothing more transformative to the futures of our children and grandchildren than technological advances like AI.

“We owe it to them to ensure AI develops in a safe and responsible way, gripping the risks it poses early enough in the process.”

It comes after the first day of the summit saw delegations from around the world, including the US and China, agree on the so-called “Bletchley declaration” - a statement on the risks surrounding the technology to be used as the starting point for a global conversation on the issue.

US vice president Kamala Harris, who met Mr Sunak in Downing Street on Wednesday, will be among attendees on Thursday after it was confirmed President Joe Biden would not attend.

French President Emmanuel Macron is also not present at the summit, though Downing Street has denied the absences indicate the event is being snubbed by world leaders.

Additional reporting by agencies