Is Elon Musk Right About AI? Researchers Don't Think So
To quell fears of artificial intelligence running amok, supporters want to give the field an image makeover
A scene from "Westworld," 1973
Photographer: Everett CollectionThis article is for subscribers only.
Depending on whom you ask, advances in artificial intelligence are either humanity's biggest threat or our best shot at curing diseases.
On one side of the debate are billionaire entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk and Bill Gates and physicist Stephen Hawking, who say AI is a potential menace to humankind with super-intelligent machines that could run amok. Some of its biggest backers include billionaires Paul Allen and Jack Ma.