Elon Musk recommends book to prepare for AI’s ‘best or worst thing for humanity’

Elon Musk has recommended a book to prepare for a future dominated by the power of artificial intelligence.

As global leaders continue the debate over artificial intelligence and the looming threat it poses, Elon Musk has a pro tip. The billionaire tech entrepreneur who is keen on building artificial intelligence for a better, safer future has recommended a book on the subject: Life 3.0: Being Human In The Age Of Artificial Intelligence.

Written by MIT physicist Max Tegmark, the book provides an insight into a future with artificial intelligence and how it will change every aspect of humanity. Musk tweeted on Tuesday that it is “worth reading”.

Tegmark, who also studies global catastrophic risks with a special focus on AI, spoke to Verge about Life 3.0. According to him, it will be a life where machines break evolutionary shackles and do things humans are not capable of achieving for themselves. For instance, a smart AI would not only design its software to learn new things but would also swap in upgraded hardware to improve its computing capabilities and learn more.

Musk, a supporter of companies like Neuralink and OpenAI, aims to use AI for the benefit of humanity but has also issued a number of warnings regarding the possible risks associated with super intelligence. In August, he noted that AI poses “more risk than North Korea,” while in July he called the subject a “fundamental risk to the existence of human civilization,” at a gathering of governors.

Considering the consequences, Musk has also called for a ban on the use of AI-powered autonomous weapons, or “killer robots”. In a letter to the United Nations, Musk and 115 other tech experts have warned, that “lethal autonomous weapons threaten to become the third revolution in warfare”.