Elon Musk Says Jack Ma 'Makes Strong Case' For Computers Being Smarter Than Humans

An old video clip of a debate between Musk and Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma that resurfaced online spurred the Tesla CEO to take a swipe at the latter.

The clip, from a 2019 Shanghai conference, shows Ma and Musk talking about Mars, technology and AI in an unmoderated event, which at many points presented awkward moments.

Ma was optimistic, while Musk warned of its rapid evolution. Ma highlighted AI’s positive potential, while Musk expressed concerns about unemployment and the need for human-computer integration to keep pace with AI.

The 58-year-old Chinese business magnate, who has left an active leadership role at Alibaba, said then that artificial intelligence is neither a threat nor terrible. "But human beings are smart enough to learn that.”

Ma at the conference said he was sure that machines would be much more clever than human beings in the future. Musk replied that he “very much” disagrees with that.

Commenting on the video clip, Musk said last week, "He [Ma] makes a strong case for computers being way smarter than humans."

Incidentally, Tesla is working on a humanoid robot called Optimus, which could take over repetitive human tasks.

Musk has recently stepped up warnings about the perils of artificial intelligence if the technology is not brought under regulation. His critics have wondered why he has had a change of heart now, given he was one of the early investors and board members of OpenAI, which is now spearheading the AI revolution.

When he called for a pause in AI research, some even argued that he is operating with a vested interest to buy time to come out with his own AI company. These skeptics may not be far off as he recently registered a company named X.AI in Nevada.

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