In a recent interview, Tesla CEO Elon Musk made a bold prediction about the development of artificial intelligence (AI), stating that AI could surpass the intelligence of the smartest human by next year or by 2026.
During the conversation with Nicolai Tangen, CEO of Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, Musk highlighted the constraints faced by AI, particularly in terms of electricity availability. He mentioned that the next version of Grok, the AI chatbot from his startup xAI, was anticipated to be trained by May.
“If you define AGI (artificial general intelligence) as smarter than the smartest human, I think it’s probably next year, within two years,” Musk said when asked about the timeline for development of AGI.
Musk, who is also the co-founder of OpenAI, expressed concerns about the shortage of advanced chips hindering the training of Grok’s version 2 model. He founded xAI as a competitor to OpenAI, alleging that the latter had strayed from its original mission of developing AI for the benefit of humanity.
Training the Grok 2 model reportedly required around 20,000 Nvidia H100 GPUs, and Musk projected that future versions would need even more chips. However, he emphasized that while chip shortages were a significant constraint, electricity supply would become crucial in the coming years.
On the topic of electric vehicles (EVs), Musk acknowledged Chinese carmakers as the most competitive globally, posing tough challenges to Tesla. He has previously warned about the threat Chinese rivals pose to global players in the absence of trade barriers.
Regarding recent union strikes in Sweden against Tesla, Musk expressed confidence that the situation had improved, stating, “I think the storm has passed on that front.”
Tangen disclosed that Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, a major shareholder in Tesla, had recently met with the EV company’s chair to discuss updates on the situation.
Elon Musk’s remarks underscore ongoing debates about the rapid advancement of AI and its implications for society, while also shedding light on the competitive landscape in the electric vehicle industry.
