Musk Predicts AI Will Surpass Humans in 5 Years, Proposes Peer-Review Regulatory Model, Criticizes OpenAI

According to The Economist, Elon Musk said in a recent interview with the publication's editor that artificial intelligence will surpass human intelligence within five years. When asked if humans would maintain control over AI development within a decade, he admitted the likelihood is low. Musk also proposed an industry self-regulatory framework comprising three tiers: weekly or bi-weekly safety meetings among major AI labs including OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Anthropic, and xAI to share risk information; competitors reviewing new models one to two weeks before release, with authority to delay launch if safety concerns arise; and government intervention only as a last resort after industry warnings are ignored.

Musk also openly criticized OpenAI CEO Sam Altman for the first time, stating the company has abandoned its original open-source non-profit mission and transformed into a closed-source for-profit enterprise valued at $80 billion, contradicting its founding principles. He revealed that Anthropic's core team left OpenAI primarily due to lost trust in Altman. Despite this rift, Musk called on the industry to set aside personal grievances and collaborate on AI safety mechanisms. He acknowledged AI carries a 10-20 percent risk of human extinction but argued that embracing the technology while implementing safeguards is preferable to abandoning development.