#20
Should AI be regulated?
Interviews
7
Answers
10
X posts
3
Span
2023 to 2026
First asked Nov 2, 2023, most recently Sep 25, 2026. Excerpts below are from machine transcripts with filler words (um, uh, you know) and stutters removed; … marks a cut. They are not checked word for word, so use the link to hear the exact words, or the transcript link for the raw text. Timestamps: 6 cross-checked against YouTube captions, 4 from the archive transcript only. X has no link-to-time option, so X links open at the start.
How the answer evolved · oldest first
Nov 2, 2023 · In Conversation with Rishi Sunak · asked by Rishi Sunak
Q: But, you know, what are the types of things governments like ours should be doing to manage and mitigate against those risks?
Well, I generally think that it is good for government to play a role when the public safety is at risk. So really, for the vast majority of software, the public safety is not at risk. I mean, if the app crashes on your phone or a laptop, it's not a massive catastrophe. But when talking about digital superintelligence, I think, which does pose a risk to the public, then there is a role for government to play to …
Nov 2, 2023 · In Conversation with Rishi Sunak · asked by Rishi Sunak
Q: What are your thoughts on how we should approach this open source question or where should we be targeting whatever regulatory or monitoring that we're going to do?
Well, the open source algorithms and data tend to lag the closed source by 6 to 12 months. But given the rate of improvement, there's actually therefore quite a big difference between the closed source and the in the open. If things are improving by a factor of, let's say five or more, then being a year behind is, you're five times worse. So it's a pretty big difference. And that might be actually an okay situation, …
Nov 9, 2023 · Lex Fridman Podcast · asked by Lex Fridman
Q: How can you help ensure with Xai and Tesla AI work that it doesn't become a competitive race to AGI but instead is a collaborative development of safe AGI?
Well, I mean, I've been pushing for some kind of regulatory oversight for a long time. I've been somewhat of a Cassandra on the subject for over a decade. I think we want to be very careful in how we develop AI. It's a great power and with great power comes great responsibility. I think it would be wise for us to have at least an objective third party who can be like a referee that can go in and understand what the …
Dec 16, 2023 · Atreju Festival · asked by Interviewer
Q: How to deal with that?
I mean, I think we need to keep a close eye on artificial intelligence. I mean, I am in favor of some regulatory insight just so that there's someone can at least be a referee. Like if you think of any game, like there's always a referee for a game for industries that affect the good of the people. There's our regulatory agencies that oversee those industries. Anything that's dangerous is overseen by some kind of …
Dec 16, 2023 · Atreju Festival · asked by Interviewer
Q: Are there any risks? I mean, that democracy is finished?
Well, I think there's certainly risk of artificial intelligence affecting the voting opinion, I suppose, and manipulating Public opinion. So I think there's some risk of. Yeah. AI manipulating the public. I think that's part.
Apr 8, 2024 · In Good Company · asked by Nicolai Tangen
Q: Any new thoughts on regulation and how it should be structured?
Well, I think we probably do need some sort of regulatory authority to look at the safety of AI, just as we have regulatory authorities in other arenas to oversee aircraft and the safety of aircraft and cars and other things, medication.
May 20, 2025 · Qatar Economic Forum · asked by Qatar Forum Interviewer
Q: So has your view changed on the need for an AI regulator?
Well, it's not that I don't think there should be regulators. You can think of regulators like referees on the field. In sports, there should be some number of referees, but you shouldn't have so many referees that you can't kick the ball without hitting one. So in many, in most fields in the US the regulatory burden has grown over time to the point where it's like having more referees than players on the field. And …
May 20, 2025 · Qatar Economic Forum · asked by Qatar Forum Interviewer
Q: And you said we need to be proactive on the regulation of AI rather than reactive. Have you changed your mind on that?
No, of course not. What I'm saying is that there should be some referees on the field. A few referees, but you shouldn't have a field jam packed with referees such that you could not kick a ball in any direction without hitting one. So the fields that have been around for a long time, such as automotive, aerospace the sort of food and drug industries are over regulated. But the new fields like artificial …
Jul 23, 2026 · The Economist: Interview with Elon Musk · asked by Zanny Minton Beddoes
Q: And do you think governments need to be involved?
My recommendation would be that if. If some of the leading companies in AI say that a new model is very dangerous, then they should inform the government and new model is very dangerous, and that the company producing that model is not taking steps to address the danger, then they should alert the government to take action to limit the release of that model. And that could be action by a Chinese government or action …
Sep 25, 2026 · Interview with CCTV · asked by CMG interviewer
Q: Talking about the topic like air safety, what kind of crucial consensus do you expect?
Yeah, I think maybe there could be a working committee to figure out safety because it's, I think in order for safety to work it can't just be regulation in the US or regulation in China. It's got to be how we, how do we apply regulation fairly to AI produced in any country. But really China and the US are the ones that really matter here. So I think a really important thing that would be good for the safety of AI …
In his own posts on X
@elonmusk · Apr 16, 2023
@mckaywrigley I saw it happening from well before GPT-1, which is why I tried to warn the public for years. The only one on one meeting I ever had with Obama as President I used not to promote Tesla or SpaceX, but to encourage AI regulation.
View on X ↗@elonmusk · Apr 27, 2023
Met with @SenSchumer and many members of Congress about artificial intelligence regulation today. That which affects safety of the public has, over time, become regulated to ensure that companies do not cut corners. AI has great power to do good and evil. Better the former.
View on X ↗@elonmusk · Sep 12, 2024
@beffjezos It’s a tough call. I’m far from certain about what maximizes the probability of a good outcome for humanity here. For industries that have been around for many decades, there is definitely far too much counterproductive regulation that does not serve the greater good.
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