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Rishi Sunak hails ‘passionate’ Elon Musk ahead of livestreamed chat

Rishi Sunak hails ‘passionate’ #ElonMusk. ahead of livestreamed chat

‘He’s someone who for a long time has been talking about the potential risk of AI and its existential risks,’ the British prime minister tells POLITICO.

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Musk has previously urged caution over AI | Pool photo by Leon Neal via AFP/Getty Images

LONDON — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak defended his decision to invite tech tycoon #ElonMusk. to a livestreamed conversation marking the end of his two-day AI Safety Summit this week.

The billionaire owner of Tesla, SpaceX and X is expected to attend both days of the summit before joining the U.K. PM for a tête-à-tête on Thursday evening to reflect on efforts to manage the risks of advanced AI.

"I think actually if you listen to what #ElonMusk. is saying, he's someone who for a long time has been talking about the potential risk of AI and its existential risks," Sunak told POLITICO's Power Play podcast.

"But he also talks very passionately as he did today about the incredible benefits that AI can bring — and what I want to do is make sure people are reassured."

Pressed again on whether it was appropriate for Sunak to give a "special welcome for someone who is criticized for spreading disinformation and endorsing unverified posts," the PM repeated that Musk has been calling for guardrails on AI for "a very long time," and is "a leading developer of AI technology himself, so he understands this space particularly well."

"But this is not just about him," Sunak added, noting that the U.K. had convened more than 100 national, corporate and civil society delegations for the summit.

Pushed a third time on whether Musk is a "problematic person" due to the way he runs X, given the social network's track record of hosting disinformation, Sunak hailed the U.K.'s recent legislative efforts to compel social media companies to remove harmful content.

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