Elon Musk Interview with Sam Altman (2016.9.15)

Summary

Elon Musk discusses his views on the most important problems to work on today. He believes artificial intelligence is the most pressing item, stating its importance to ensure AI develops safely and benefits humanity. Musk also highlights genetics to solve diseases, brain-computer interfaces to augment human cognition, and making life multiplanetary. When asked for advice for ambitious young people, Musk suggests creating something useful, estimating possible impact and probability of success. He spends over 80% of his time on engineering and design, digging into the technical details at SpaceX and Tesla to improve rockets, vehicles, and factories.

Takeaways

• 😀 Musk believes AI safety is the most pressing issue today
• 🤔 He thinks democratizing and merging with AI is the best path forward
• 💡 Solving bandwidth constraints between brain and digital self is key
• 🔬 Genetics could help cure diseases like dementia
• 🚀 Mars colony possible in 9-10 years with non-zero chance of success
• ⏱ Humans are slow; production lines can be 20x faster
• 📈 Musk spends 80% of time on engineering and design
• 😮 Factories that build the machine matter more than the machine itself
• 🤖 Gigafactory will have a high level of automation
• 🚗 Optimizing for 1 meter/sec Model 3 production line speed

Q & A

What does Elon Musk think is the most important issue to work on regarding AI?

Musk believes the most important thing regarding AI is to achieve democratization of the technology, so no single company or small group controls advanced AI. It should be widely available to avoid concentration of power.

What does Musk think is the second most important technology to work on?

Musk believes genetics and solving diseases like dementia through genetic reprogramming could be the second most important technology to work on.

Why did Elon Musk start SpaceX despite the very low odds of success?

Musk started SpaceX even with low odds of success because he believed if the company could move space technology forward even a bit before failing, it could inspire others to advance the technology further in the future.

How does Musk deal with fear when taking on risky projects?

Musk says he feels fear quite strongly, but when something is important enough he does it anyway despite the fear. Letting the importance motivate action is key.

What is Musk's vision for a positive AI future?

Musk's vision is that we achieve democratization of AI technology combined with solving the bandwidth constraints in brain interfaces, so humans can effectively merge with AI in a symbiotic way.

How does Musk spend most of his time currently?

Musk spends about 80% of his time on engineering and design work - developing new products at SpaceX and Tesla.

What is the current factory production line speed at Tesla?

The current production line speed averages about 5 centimeters per second between Model S and Model X.

What production line speed is Musk targeting in the future?

Musk wants to increase the production line speed by 20 times to at least 1 meter per second.

Why does Musk believe improving manufacturing is so critical?

Musk believes manufacturing improvements make a much bigger impact than improving vehicle design - saying the machine that builds the machine is at least one order of magnitude more important.

What does Musk think the odds are now of establishing a self-sustaining Mars colony?

Musk says he is now certain that success in establishing a growing Mars colony is achievable, with odds seeming pretty good, whereas earlier he thought success might not even be possible.