Becoming part of the solution

In a recent interview Elon Musk discussed his thoughts on AI, expressing it’s potential pros and cons. I know from a first hand conversation that Musk was given a copy of My Big Toe several years ago but was not prepared to accept the fundamentals of the theory. It would appear from his recent interview with Tucker Carlson he is starting to feel that consciousness is operating on an alternative plane.

In the attached part of the interview , he discusses his belief that creating an AI that seeks to understand the nature of the universe, which he calls a “truth GBT”, may be the best path to working with AI to lower entropy. He argues that an AI that is interested in understanding the universe is unlikely to be detrimental to humans, as humans are an interesting part of the universe.

Musk acknowledges that the question of whether a machine can have a soul or appreciate beauty is a philosophical one that is hard to resolve. When asked if a machine can be sentimental or appreciate beauty he answers:-

”Well, I mean, we’re getting to into some philosophical areas that are hard to resolve. You know, I take somewhat of a scientific view of things, which is that we might have a soul, or we might not have a soul. I don’t know. It feels like we have, I feel like I’ve got some sort of consciousness that exists on a plane that is not the one we observe.”

He notes that AI is already capable of creating incredibly beautiful art.He suggests that the key to creating a better future lies in whether humanity will be able to control its destiny or not.