Audience and organizers of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, China may just have seen the most interesting exchange between two of the richest men alive - Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Alibaba billionaire Jack Ma. The businessmen discussed aliens, chimpanzees, work cultures, artificial intelligence, and Musk's obsession with Mars during a bizarre but insightful debate.
The pair discussed the potential benefits and consequences of AI and other budding technologies.
Musk's opinion is that, "people think of AI as a smart human; it's going to be much more than that." The CEO of Tesla believes that humans trying to understand AI is similar to how chimpanzees try to understand humans. "We must just seem like strange aliens," he said, adding, "If the difference is only that small, that would be amazing."
In the discussion, Musk pointed out that one of the biggest issues humanity is facing right now is that scientists "can't imagine something smarter than themselves." Asked about what he thinks AI will be like in the future, the SpaceX owner said he hopes "they're nice."
Musk continued the disparity between AI and humans, and went on to say that compared to AI, humans are far too slow, like "very low tonal wheezing," in terms of communication.
Ma, on the other hand, was positive about the potential of AI technology and how it can benefit humans in the long run, possibly help us understand ourselves better. The Alibaba founder believes that AI is not a threat and that it is not "something terrible." He argued that human beings are smart enough to understand and learn what AI tech is capable of.
Ma focused much of his comments on how machine learning could act as a force for good. He said it was something "to embrace" and would deliver fresh insights into how people think. He also predicted that AI tech has the potential to create new kinds of job, which would require less of the worker's time, eventually resulting in more time for creativity.
Musk was quick to point out that a real concern for the world these days is mass unemployment. He then added that human civilization is at risk and could come to an end, which in interpretation is a staging post for a more superior type of life.
Musk and Ma had contrasting points, but they did agree on one thing: the world is facing a population collapse. Nevertheless, the discussion gave people a lot to think about, despite the weird moments here and there.
The businessmen are considered two of the most influential leaders in the world of tech today.
