AI could surpass combined human intelligence within five years, warns Elon Musk

Elon Musk has warned that artificial intelligence could exceed the collective intelligence of all humans within five years. He has predicted that artificial intelligence could surpass the collective intelligence of all humans within the next five years, warning that humanity may lose control of the technology within a decade. Speaking to The Economist, the Tesla and xAI chief stated that AI is advancing so rapidly it will soon outperform humans in virtually every intellectual task, leaving "being human" as our only unique advantage.

Despite these risks, Musk views rapid AI development as inevitable. However, he remains broadly optimistic, arguing that the technology is far more likely to usher in an era of massive economic abundance and innovation than trigger a catastrophic outcome, provided humanity avoids major geopolitical conflicts.

To manage the long-term risk of losing human control, Musk urged frontier AI developers to self-regulate rather than wait for government intervention. He proposed that leading AI firms periodically audit one another’s models before public release, suggesting governments should only step in if companies fail to resolve credible safety threats.

Musk also reiterated his criticism of OpenAI, accusing it of abandoning its founding non-profit, open-source mission. While acknowledging his ongoing feud with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Musk praised Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's commitment to safety and stressed that personal rivalries must not prevent industry leaders from collaborating to mitigate AI risks.