Elon Musk illuminated the Dôme de Paris stage once more to take part in VivaTech 2024. During his second year at the event, Musk participated in a Q&A session remotely, giving the audience the chance to ask one of the world’s wealthiest and most influential men anything they wanted to know about him.
According to a Viva Technology digest of the event, now in its eighth year, VivaTech 2024 took place in Paris from May 22-25. Musk opened the May 23 session with a discussion on Neuralink. He noted the progress made by his brain-computer interface company in developing a device that allows humans to telepathically control computers and phones. He pointed out Neuralink’s aspirations, which are to restore sight to the blind and mitigate artificial intelligence (AI) risks by improving the human-computer interface bandwidth.
Musk also spoke about xAI, a company he launched last year. He voiced his concern over developments in AI, with an emphasis on major AI programs such as Google Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT being trained to be politically correct rather than truthful. Musk said he envisions xAI as an AI that prioritizes truth, regardless of how unpopular it may be.
Musk took on a range of questions from the audience. In response to one regarding his persona and how the media portrays him, Musk stated that “the news media frequently exaggerates for clicks.” He advised the crowd to focus on direct statements from people and not the media’s interpretation. He also answered several AI questions, such as its potential impact on jobs, the need for regulation, and the risks.
At the session’s conclusion, Musk expressed his hopes for human survival and advancements in space exploration. He stressed “the importance of humans becoming a multi-planetary species.”
