Elon Musk says self-driving technology is ‘profound’ but not as big a deal as the human-like AI that may emerge in the future

• Elon Musk thinks artificial general intelligence is a bigger deal than driverless-car technology.
• The billionaire tweeted that autonomous cars were profound, but not as profound as human-like AI.
• Musk has sounded the alarm on the rapid advancement of AI in recent months.

Elon Musk says Tesla’s self-driving technology is profound but not as big a deal as the future prospect of human-like AI. 

The billionaire CEO responded to a Tesla fan account on Twitter on Tuesday that wrote Tesla’s full self-driving software was “the most important, consequential software of our lifetime” from a safety standpoint of “anyone that steps in a car.”

Musk tweeted that the technology was “certainly profound,” but not as much as AGI, short for artificial general intelligence, which advocates said could be as powerful as the human brain.  

AGI has become a hot topic since the release of ChatGPT in November, as companies including OpenAI and Google have started to accelerate the development of their models in the pursuit of AI that can think and understand the way humans do.

However, Musk has repeatedly sounded the alarm on the rapid advancement of AI in recent months. Last month, the billionaire suggested there was a small likelihood AI could take control of humanity.

“There is a risk that advanced AI either eliminates or constrains humanity’s growth,” Musk said at the WSJ CEO Council Summit in May. 

Despite the warnings, Musk, who was a cofounder of OpenAI, has been preparing to carve his own path in the AI field. Insider reported in April that Musk had purchased thousands of graphics-processing units to push ahead with a generative AI initiative at Twitter.

The rising interest in AI also comes amid reports Tesla had struggled to gain traction with plans for its driverless car technology as concerns emerged about its safety. 

Following analysis of data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, The Washington Post reported this month that 736 Tesla crashes involving autopilot mode had taken place since 2019, including 17 deaths.

Musk did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment outside regular working hours.