Israel’s PM Netanyahu hails dawn of AI-era after call with Elon Musk
Netanyahu to set up team on national AI policy after Musk assesses Israel can be a 'significant factor on this matter in the world'
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday hailed “a new era for humanity” after a phone call with Elon Musk the day prior during which they discussed the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) as well as the Jewish state’s role in such technology.
“We are at the beginning of a new era for humanity, the era of artificial intelligence,” Netanyahu said in a video speech. “Things are changing at a dizzying pace, and Israel must formulate a national policy on this issue.”
He noted that he had a long conversation with Tesla and SpaceX CEO Musk, “a person whose intelligence and contribution to humanity I greatly appreciate.”
“He spoke at length about two things,” Netanyahu continued. “One - the need for governments to understand both the opportunities and the dangers of artificial intelligence. Second - he expressed his assessment that Israel can become a significant factor on this matter in the world.”
“I'm sure this is true and we will do so.”
Earlier on Monday, Netanyahu also met with Sam Altman, CEO and co-founder of OpenAI, who “expressed his assessment that Israel can be a major factor in the world in this field.”
Altman visited Israel to raise awareness of the risk of AI. His company is most known for ChatGPT, an AI product that touts a wide range of functions due to its ability to process language naturally and respond to prompts on any subject.
“I intend to convene think tanks in the coming days to discuss a national policy in artificial intelligence, both in the civil and security fields. As we made Israel a national power in the field of cyber, we will do the same in the field of artificial intelligence,” the Israeli premier concluded.