According to a senator present, tech magnate Elon Musk told senators in a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill on Wednesday that society and governments face a “civilizational risk” from artificial intelligence.
He spoke at a first-of-its-kind, closed-door symposium on AI with a who’s who of Big Tech heavyweights, including Sam Altman, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and Sundar Pichai. Even though all 100 senators were invited, not everyone showed there.
Musk, the richest man on earth, referred to the meeting as “historic” as he exited the Capitol after several hours. He also reiterated his warning that artificial intelligence poses a serious threat and supported the notion of a new federal agency to supervise it.
Before scurrying into his waiting Tesla, Musk told a press throng, “The consequences of AI going wrong are severe, so we need to be proactive rather than reactive.”
“Civilizational risk is really the key issue here. It’s not like there are two different groups of humanity. It’s like, ‘Hey, all humans everywhere could be at risk from this,'” he continued.
When asked whether artificial intelligence will wipe off humanity, Musk paused before responding, “There is some possibility that is above zero that AI will wipe us all out. It’s low, in my opinion. But if there’s any chance at all, I believe we should also take into account how fragile human society is.
Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., who was present at the private event, claimed to have been moved by Musk’s use of the word “civilizational risk,” recorded it in her notebook, and displayed it to two reporters.
She said that other panelists discussed the necessity of immigration reform to bring in additional high-tech personnel as well as the need for standards revisions at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
“You had everything from there to sort of the 60,000-foot level remark about the civilizational threats connected with AI, and it had everything in between. I thought it was quite intriguing and informative. And I’m happy I went,” remarked Lummis.
The Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer, D-New York, and Senators Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, Todd Young, R-Indiana, and Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico, convened the cross-party event, which was titled the AI Insight Forum. Through the end of the year, more AI forums will be conducted to serve as ideation sessions for legislative regulation of AI.
“We reached agreement on several issues… Everyone in the group raised their hands when I asked if the government should become involved in AI regulation, despite the fact that they all had different opinions, Schumer told reporters on Wednesday. So, this tells us that, despite how challenging the process may be, we must try to act.
The CEO of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, did not respond to inquiries as he left the summit, but his staff supplied his prepared statements, in which he stated that it is the responsibility of the government to control artificial intelligence.
In order to foster innovation and protection, Congress should interact with AI, according to Zuckerberg. “The government is eventually responsible for that because this is an emerging technology and there are significant equities to balance here.”
Given the structure, Altman, CEO of ChatGPT parent firm OpenAI, expressed astonishment at the level of consensus in the room over “the need to take this seriously & treat it with urgency.”
Altman told reporters during a break, “I think everyone agreed that this is something we need the government’s leadership on.” “There’s some disagreement with regard to how it should go, but everyone agrees that this is urgent and important.”
The 22 panelists and host senators took up a U-shaped arrangement inside the enormous Kennedy Caucus Room. Musk, the CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, and social networking site X, was seated on one side of the room. On the other was Zuckerberg, who has had disagreements with Musk in the past & recently launched Threads, a competitor to X.
Both sides of the day-long, high-profile event have their share of doubters. Senators complained that the so-called AI Insight discussion was off-limits to the general public and the media (reporters were given a small window of opportunity to check out the setup before the discussion started). Tech millionaires would be able to persuade senators behind closed doors on one of the most important issues affecting the nation’s economy, according to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts.
“They’re seated alone at a large round table. Warren, who this week called on the Senate to look into Musk’s alleged participation in preventing a Ukrainian drone from targeting Russia’s naval fleet last year in the Black Sea, expressed frustration: “All of the senators are to sit there and ask no questions.”
Schumer responded to the criticism by pointing out that there have been three public hearings on AI, and that those forums have featured academics, labor and civil rights groups, national security experts, and academics in addition to tech billionaires.
“The conference was quite successful. The American Federation of Teachers’ president, Randi Weingarten, said in an interview: “At first glance, you would assume that given all the tech professionals who were there, their views would be dominant. But what actually happened was that there was broad agreement that the two go hand in hand and that the safety demands are extremely crucial to fully engage the innovation.
Schumer claimed that waiting to take action on AI is untenable in an exclusive interview with NBC News on Tuesday.
The most significant change affecting us in the coming decades will be brought about by AI. It will have an impact on all facets of life. It has the power to significantly improve a number of areas, including education, national security, and the ability to cure cancer and improve our food supply. It has the potential to be very harmful and might lead to the continuation of bias, the loss of many jobs, or even the advancement of some of our enemies, according to Schumer.
“The normal impulse of Congress is ‘Let’s ignore it; let someone else do it,'” he continued, “when it’s something this tough and this prevalent and this changing — it’s changing rapidly. “No one else can handle it. We can’t just bury our heads in the sand like ostriches because this might go out of control if the government doesn’t step in and install some actual guardrails.
At a public session on Tuesday, two tech executives cautioned senators that essential AI-run systems, like power grids or water supplies, need an emergency brake to shield people from potential risks.
The CEOs of Google, IBM, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Palantir were present at the forum on Wednesday, along with the leaders of labor, human rights, and entertainment organizations. Musk, Zuckerberg, Gates, and Altman were also in attendance. They are Maya Wiley, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights, Janet Murgua, president of UnidosUS, Charles Rivkin, chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association, and Elizabeth Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO.
The first AI forum was slated to last seven hours on Wednesday, with a lunch break. With assistance from Heinrich and Young, Schumer and Rounds facilitated the conversation, according to aides. The normally talkative senators were told to submit written questions instead of having the chance to openly question the IT executives.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said he made the decision not to attend despite the forum’s organizers’ emphasis on its nonpartisan character.
“I just think the whole framework is wrong,” said Hawley, who stated a bipartisan AI framework with Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. “I think the idea that this is some great breakthrough that will come from the biggest monopolists in the world—and that they are going to share with us their great wisdom—I just think the whole framework is wrong.”
“Take that with a grain of salt, you know. You have to understand that they are parties with an interest. They stand to profit greatly from this, which is acceptable, he said, “but you have to understand that I simply think the whole framing that ‘Oh, aren’t we so graced by their presence?’ — I mean, give me a break. These individuals have harmed our nation in negative ways.