Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, xAI, X, and The Boring Company, has said his concerns about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence.
Speaking on a podcast with Indian billionaire Nikhil Kamath, Musk outlined what he considers the three most crucial ingredients to ensure AI benefits humanity: truth, beauty, and curiosity.
Musk emphasized that AI is a powerful technology capable of being potentially destructive if mismanaged. “It’s not that we’re guaranteed to have a positive future with AI,” Musk said.
He has previously warned that AI poses one of the biggest threats to civilization, surpassing the dangers of cars, planes, or medicines.
The entrepreneur co-founded OpenAI alongside Sam Altman but left its board in 2018. Musk criticized the organization after it transitioned from a non-profit mission focused on AI safety to a commercial model following the launch of ChatGPT in 2022. In response, Musk launched xAI and developed the Grok chatbot in 2023 to pursue AI innovations aligned with his principles.
Musk stressed that AI must prioritize truth. Without grounding in factual information, AI systems may absorb false or misleading data from online sources, leading to reasoning errors and harmful conclusions.
“You can make an AI go insane if you force it to believe things that aren’t true,” he warned. AI-generated misinformation, are a significant challenge in the industry. Musk’s remarks highlight the importance of intentional design choices as AI continues to shape global society.
Beyond truth, Musk believes AI should appreciate beauty and maintain curiosity. He argued that AI should have a sense of aesthetics and a desire to understand reality. “Some appreciation of beauty is important,” Musk said. “You know it when you see it.”
Curiosity is essential for AI to explore and learn responsibly. Musk emphasized that AI should value the continuation of humanity and seek knowledge about the world rather than seeking to harm or replace humans.
Musk’s warnings align with other prominent voices in AI research. Geoffrey Hinton, a computer scientist and former Google vice president often called a “Godfather of AI,” previously estimated a 10–20% chance that AI could “wipe us out.” Hinton cited hallucinations and automation of entry-level jobs as shorter-term concerns but stressed that continued research and careful engineering could help prevent AI from becoming harmful.
Musk’s commentary underscores the growing debate about AI ethics and safety. As AI capabilities expand rapidly, industry leaders are calling for clear guidelines to ensure technology serves humanity.
Musk’s framework of truth, beauty, and curiosity provides a philosophical foundation for building AI systems that are both safe and beneficial.