Elon Musk Advocates For Truthful AI Training, Sparks Debate

According to U.Today, Elon Musk, the tech entrepreneur, has sparked a debate on a significant issue in artificial intelligence (AI) development. Musk suggested a hypothetical scenario where AI was developed during the era of Galileo, the renowned astronomer. He questioned what AI would have been trained to say about Galileo's heliocentric solar system discovery. This statement has ignited a heated discussion, with many agreeing with Musk's viewpoint. During his attendance at the 2024 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony, Musk was asked about the training of AI, which has recently emerged and is rapidly evolving. Musk emphasized that AI should be trained to tell the truth, regardless of its popularity. He used the time of Galileo as an example, when the astronomer discovered that the Earth rotates around the sun, contrary to the popular belief and the Catholic Church's doctrine that the sun revolved around the Earth. Musk argued that if AI had been trained during that period, it would have been taught the incorrect belief that the Sun orbits the Earth. Musk's comments are part of his ongoing criticism of AI systems like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and others developed by Meta and similar tech giants. He believes these AI systems are 'woke' as they avoid discussing certain social issues such as politics, sex, gender, and religion, and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). In response, Musk's xAI startup has developed the Grok AI chatbot, which is not restricted in the topics it is trained to discuss with users. Musk advocates for AI to be as truthful and curious as possible, as he believes this would most likely 'foster humanity'.