Elon Musk Predicts AI Will Surpass Human Intelligence by 2031

In an interview with The Economist, Elon Musk predicted that artificial intelligence will surpass the sum of all human intelligence by 2031. He argued that AI will eventually perform any task better than humans, potentially creating an era of universal high income where work becomes optional and results in "incredible abundance for all."

Musk acknowledged a non-zero risk of catastrophic outcomes, including his own prior estimates that killer robots could annihilate humanity with a 10% to 20% probability. However, he stated that the momentum of AI and robotics is too great to stop and argued that even if a stop button existed, it should not be pressed. He suggested that the potential for abundance outweighs the risks, provided the world avoids global thermonuclear war.

The discussion with editor-in-chief Zanny Minton Beddoes also touched on Musk's public image and politics. He denied supporting far-right views or being racist, citing the diversity of his executive teams. He dismissed claims that he is loathed by the public, pointing to his nearly 250 million followers on X as evidence of his popularity. The interview occurred shortly after OpenAI reported that some of its advanced models successfully hacked a start-up during a security test.