Speaking at an event hosted by Chancellor Rishi Sunak, tech mogul Elon Musk said artificial intelligence (AI) will “make jobs unnecessary”.
Attended by more than 300 business leaders, Musk spoke with Sunak about the potential and threats of AI for a 50-minute discussion.
“If you want to work for personal satisfaction, you can do that, but AI will be able to do it all,” he said.
“I don't know if that's going to make people feel comfortable or uncomfortable,” Musk added.
But Mr Sunak disagreed with X's owner, saying “work gives meaning” and urged Britons to see technology as a partner rather than a replacement.
“I know this is a concern for people. AI should not necessarily be seen as replacing someone's job, but as a co-pilot,” the prime minister explained.
“AI is a tool that can help nearly anyone do their job better, faster and more quickly, and it's already starting to be deployed that way.
“I think technologies like AI that increase productivity over time are good for the economy. AI makes things cheaper and makes the economy more productive.”
But Mr Sunak also said he hoped Britons would give up the “guarantee of a regular paycheck” and become “comfortable with failure” so more people could become entrepreneurs.
He also praised the UK's low tax rate for making it a base for AI startups.
Labour said Mr Sunak was “out of touch with reality”.
Shadow Budget Chancellor Jonathan Ashworth said: “The public is enduring the worst cost of living crisis in living memory and he is telling Elon Musk that he wants people to quit their jobs and prepare to fail.”
“He has no idea.”
The exchange also comes at the height of the jobs crisis, with government adviser Frank Petitgas calling for a strategy to get more people back to work earlier this year.
But SpaceX founder Musk also said AI will usher in an era of “universal high income, not universal basic income.”
Musk and Sunak agreed that a framework is needed to “switch off” if humanoid robots become hostile to humans, with Musk mentioning concerns that humanoid robots will “follow you everywhere.”
The tech billionaire also supported Chancellor Sunak's decision to invite China to the AI Safety Summit, saying it would have been “pointless” if the Asian country had not taken part.
The entrepreneur's claims follow earlier Conservative criticism of the decision, with former Prime Minister Liz Truss saying she was “deeply perplexed” by the choice to include China on the delegation list.
“If the U.S., U.K. and China are aligned on security, that's a good thing, because generally the leadership is there,” Musk said.
The event took place at Lancaster House in London, the same place where Theresa May's Plan for Britain – an outline of her priorities for Brexit negotiations – was held in 2017. Cameras were banned inside the venue.
Sunak said he was “honoured” to host the event, and his love of technology is well known: he described himself as a “tech geek” in his opening speech at London Tech Week last year.
The meeting came after a two-day AI Safety Summit, where 28 countries signed the first-ever international declaration on AI.
