Elon Musk warns artificial intelligence is "summoning the demon"

Elon Musk is all about keeping the human race alive, even if that means abandoning Earth at some point. He went into details about this not long ago when discussing Mars colonies and things of an existential nature. Any number of technologies could prove a threat to that survival, with artificial intelligence being counted among them, necessitating plans to prevent possible bad outcomes. Google reportedly formed an ethics board after acquiring AI startup DeepMind, for example, but things like that might not be enough to keep the technology from spiraling out of control.

MIT recently wrapped up its Aeronautics and Astronautics Department's 2014 Centennial Symposium. Elon Musk participated in a one-on-one session during this event, talking about artificial intelligence and issuing warnings about how we must approach the technology to help ensure nothing goes sour.

His warning was direct and to the point, with Musk saying, "I think we should be very careful about artificial intelligence. If I were to guess what our biggest existential threat is, it's probably that ... With artificial intelligence we are summoning the demon. In all those stories where there's the guy with the pentagram and the holy water, it's like yeah he's sure he can control the demon. Didn't work out."

Musk isn't the only one who sees the dangers of a future filled with artificial intelligence. Cries have been made for regulations to be established — both on the national and international levels — and the UN, as an example, held a meeting about intelligent "killer robots" earlier this year. Hit up the timeline below for related news.

VIA: Washington Post