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4 Sep, 2017 12:49

Global race for AI will ‘most likely cause’ WWIII as computers launch 1st strike – Musk

Global race for AI will ‘most likely cause’ WWIII as computers launch 1st strike – Musk

Competition for superiority in Artificial Intelligence at national level will “most likely” cause World War Three, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has said, warning that an AI may deem first use its best chance of winning.

“China, Russia, soon all countries with strong computer science. Competition for AI superiority at national level most likely cause of WW3,” Musk tweeted.

It will likely not even be the countries' leaders that start the war, Musk elaborated, but “one of the AI's, if it [AI] decides that a pre-emptive strike is most probable path to victory.”

The SpaceX founder says he doubts that North Korea can launch its own nuclear strike. He believes that Pyongyang “launching a nuclear missile would be suicide for their leadership, as South Korea, [the U.S.] and China would invade and end the regime immediately.”

It would not, however, be the start of a world war, Musk believes.

“North Korea has no entangling alliances that would polarize [the] world into war,” he wrote.

READ MORE: 'Whoever leads in AI will rule the world’: Putin to Russian children on Knowledge Day 

Musk’s comments come days after Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that “the future belongs to artificial intelligence” and whoever masters it first will rule the world.

“Artificial intelligence is the future, not only for Russia, but for all humankind. It comes with colossal opportunities, but also threats that are difficult to predict. Whoever becomes the leader in this sphere will become the ruler of the world,” Putin said.

An avid anti-AI crusader, Musk appears to be more frightened by artificial intelligence, a rising phenomenon he is willing to put under control.

“If you're not concerned about AI safety, you should be. Vastly more risk than North Korea,” Musk said in August this year. 

The entrepreneur has long warned about the perils AI might bring to humankind. He maintains there is a great probability that artificial intelligence, free of any regulation and oversight, is able to go rogue and turn on humans in the end.

“AI is a fundamental risk to the existence of human civilization in a way that car accidents, airplane crashes, faulty drugs or bad food were not. They were harmful to a set of individuals in society of course, but they were not harmful to society as a whole,” Musk said in mid-July during a public event. 

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