In the realm of artificial intelligence, concerns about ethics, safety, and societal implications have been growing since its inception. Lex Fridman, a Research Scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), recently posed a thought-provoking question: Can AI become conscious?
Fridman directed this query as a response to the inaugural tweet from xAI, Elon Musk’s newly launched artificial intelligence startup, which invited users to share their thoughts on the most fundamental unanswered questions.
“Can AI become conscious?” Fridman asked.
In response, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk shared his perspective, saying, “I often wonder where consciousness starts, as we progress from one cell to ~35 trillion cells. If the Standard Model is correct, then quarks & leptons become ‘conscious’ no later than ~13.8B years from the start, assuming there are no sentient aliens. Btw, where are the aliens!?”
Elon Musk’s remark is noteworthy because he just launched xAI, a rival AI firm to OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, with the goal of challenging it. Although in the computer industry the acronym xAI is frequently used to refer to Explainable AI or Interpretable AI, Musk and his business have not made it clear what it actually means.
According to the company’s website, xAI’s mission is to “understand the true nature of the universe.” While the new venture will operate independently from Musk’s other companies, the technology developed will benefit his various businesses, including Twitter.
Musk expanded on this on Twitter, saying that the main goal of the new business is to “understand reality” and respond to the most important issues in life.
Former researchers from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Tesla, and the University of Toronto have been brought together by xAI to establish a team.
Elon Musk has frequently voiced his concerns about the possible risks associated with AI, describing it as “our biggest existential threat” and warning against advancing too quickly because doing so is equivalent to “summoning the demon.”
The discussion surrounding AI consciousness and Musk’s involvement in the field continues to fuel speculation and anticipation within the tech community.