Vinod Khosla has no doubts that humanity’s future with AI is vivid.
The Sun Microsystems co-founder turned distinguished investor predicts that “the need to work will go away” nearly solely because of AI.
“Almost all expertise, it doesn’t matter whether you’re talking about primary care physicians, mental health therapists, oncologists, structural engineers or accountants — all of it can be near free,” he stated on Monday in a dialog with TechCrunch editor-in-chief Connie Loizos on the annual TechCrunch Disrupt convention.
When requested why he’s so optimistic about an AI-infused future, Khosla stated that the world the place most human labor is free could have “great abundance,” including that GDP development will improve from “2% to well over 5%.”
Because many individuals are involved that AI may very well be detrimental to society, Khosla lately penned an essay titled: AI: Dystopia or Utopia?
Onstage right this moment, he recapped a number of the factors from the 13,150-word essay.
Despite his optimism, Khosla acknowledged the potential dangers of AI.
“We could have sentient AI try and kill humanity,” he stated, including that AI security needs to be addressed, though he vehemently disagreed with the now vetoed California AI invoice, SB 1047.
However, Khosla’s greatest concern is the U.S. rivals’ use of AI.
“By and large, the biggest risk we face is strong AI in the hands of our adversaries,” he stated. “I’m mostly thinking of President Xi, and I’m thinking of Putin.”
For months, Khosla has advocated in opposition to open supply AI, citing considerations about its potential exploitation by China.
In addition to fears that adversaries might weaponize AI, Khosla stated this know-how might finally result in elevated earnings inequality.
The enterprise capitalist, a proponent of common primary earnings and earnings redistribution, stated, “Capitalism tends to concentrate wealth, so we have to have policy to equalize it so everybody has a stake.”
Khosla has been bullish on AI lengthy earlier than this know-how’s latest breakthroughs. He defined that his 2018 funding in OpenAI “was an easy decision to make,” though what the corporate was constructing was nonetheless considerably ambiguous.
Khosla Ventures was one of many first institutional traders in OpenAI. The agency’s preliminary $50 million test has purchased it a 5% stake within the firm that’s now valued at $157 billion.
