Elon Musk was once again the protagonist of VivaTech, the Parisian technological event taking place these days. After attending in person last year, the SpaceX and Tesla CEO opted for a video conference this year. For about an hour, Musk spoke with Maurice Lévy, founder of the event, and answered questions from the audience, who had the opportunity to ask questions lasting up to 15 seconds. Among the numerous topics covered, Musk’s vision on artificial intelligence captured particular attention. Musk has expressed concerns about generative AIs that might deviate from the truth to follow a politically correct line. “It is crucial that AI is trained to be honest and not to conform to political correctness, which is often simply false,” Musk stated firmly.
Musk did not spare criticism of Google’s Gemini AI, which he said was ruined by its attempt not to discriminate against anyone. He reiterated that his xAI is committed to creating artificial intelligence that is as precise as possible, even at the cost of being unpopular. “The truth, the truth, the truth,” he emphasized repeatedly during the session, underscoring his determination to pursue accuracy above all else. Although Musk acknowledged that xAI is not yet ready to compete with giants like OpenAI or Google, he said he is confident that he will soon be. He stressed that the issue of safety will become crucial once their AI is competitive. According to sources such as Bloomberg and the New York Post, xAI is close to closing a fundraising that would value it between 18 and 20 billion dollars, with significant support from investors such as Sequoia Capital.
The video conference was not without technical snags. Musk faced a momentary connection drop that left the audience hanging for more than three minutes. Despite the inconvenience, the billionaire returned to the giant screen of VivaTech, resuming the session with his usual energy. Elon Musk’s virtual speech at VivaTech 2024 offered a clear and decisive vision of his ideas regarding artificial intelligence and future xAI projects. Among the topics touched on, Musk said he was “concerned” about the effects of social networks, especially on children. According to Musk, who is the owner of the former Twitter, social media is only a tool intended to “maximize the dopamine” (also called “happiness hormone”) released in the brain when looking at the screen. “I urge parents to limit social networks for their children,” he said.
On his relationship with the press, he cuts it short: “I don’t read articles about myself. What is said is often caricatured,” he said. “The media is a machine for maximizing clicks, not maximizing the truth.” Musk then addressed the topic of brain implants, an experiment that he is following closely with his Neuralink: “The potential is to reanimate the various limbs of a body,” he summarizes. “This technology could one day, for example, allow a person who has lost the use of their legs to walk again.”