- Musk urged AI companies to collaborate on safety issues.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has rejected allegations that he is racist, saying his partner is half-Indian and that the companies he leads employ people of diverse backgrounds in senior positions.
In an interview with The Economist, Musk was asked about criticism that labels him a “racist.”
“My partner is half-Indian. I have four children with her, one of them was named after a famous Indian phycisit,” he said.
Musk argued that the diversity within his companies contradicted such allegations.
“So I would say I’m not a racist. If you look at people that are employed at my companies, we have senior executives of all races. I don’t think there is any racism there,” he added.
Musk On Claims Of Being ‘Anti-Muslim’
When asked whether he was “anti-Muslim,” Musk did not directly answer the question but said his opposition was directed at people who sought to impose values incompatible with those of Western societies.
“If people are coming to a country with antithetical views, I am against that. I’m against rape and murder. I’m against the imposition of rules and laws that are contrary to what we’ve come to accept in the West.”
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Musk Defends Remarks On European Politics
The interview also touched on Musk’s interventions in European politics despite not living in Europe.
Asked why he believed he should influence political debates there, Musk said he viewed Western countries collectively.
“I think of it as sort of the West collectively,” Musk replied.
When told that many people objected to the political influence wielded by someone with his wealth and reach, Musk said he was unconcerned by criticism.
“Yes, some people do. Maybe some people do loathe me. And that’s probably true. I don’t care. But the fact that, as you pointed out, a quarter billion people follow me is that I think a lot more people actually like me than don’t.”
Musk has more than 240 million followers on X, the social media platform he owns.
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Tesla CEO Calls For AI Safety Collaboration
During the interview, Musk also urged leading artificial intelligence companies to cooperate more closely on safety and security issues.
He proposed regular meetings between major AI firms to discuss potential risks associated with advanced AI models.
“The most immediate thing that we could do is to have the leading AI companies … have some sort of call once every few weeks and just discuss any safety and security issues,” Musk said.
He also suggested that competing AI firms should review each other’s most advanced models before public release to identify potential safety concerns.
According to Musk, if a company failed to address significant risks identified during such reviews, “that would be the moment for government to step in and take action.”
