Elon Musk And Rishi Sunak Talk Robot Kill-Switches At AI Safety Summit
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk met for a much-anticipated 40-minute conversation post the UK’s AI Safety Summit on Thursday evening, in an event that attendees say felt more about adding gravitas to the conference than offering deep dialogue.
“We feel very proud, very excited to have you,” Sunak said, excited and sitting dressed in a full suit across from Musk, in jeans and t-shirt. The conversation ranged playfully as the two speculated about artificial intelligence, robots and the future.
Musk intriguingly suggested that AI “friends” could surpass human companionship, raising laughter around the room. Later the two riffed humorously on the necessity of a fail-safe against rogue AI, referencing the killer robots of the Terminator franchise.
Amid discussions about AI’s societal impacts and the UK’s AI ambitions, Sunak seemed to seek Musk’s endorsement, aligning with the tech leader’s boundaryless view of business in a globalised world. In closing, Sunak wrapped up the event, highlighting a “landmark agreement” for pre-release testing of AI models.
Yet, the ease of their interaction raised questions about the nature of the interview, given pressing questions that might have been asked about Musk’s real and growing influence over the UK’s strategic interests through business ventures like Starlink and his stances on global issues.
Reaction to the event was largely one of bemusement. Sky News’ Editor Sam Coates seemed stunned by what he described as one of the “maddest” events he’s covered, appearing on the news to describe the experience as “weird.”
Liverpool Echo Editor Liam Thorp joked on X joked that the softball Q&A was really Sunak pitching himself to future employers.
This analysis seemed to resonate, the New Statesman describing Sunak like “he was interviewing for a job” with Musk.
With Former Deputy Prime Minister Sir Nick Clegg, of course, now President of Global Affairs at Meta, whether Sunak gushing efforts on Thursday impressed the billionaire entrepreneur remains to be seen.
