In 1-on-1 with Musk, Israel’s Netanyahu talks ‘blessings, curses’ of AI revolution
In the X/Twitter live stream, the Israeli PM addresses criticism over judicial reform: ‘Israel was, is, and always will be a robust democracy'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Elon Musk spoke on Monday in a one-on-one forum live-streamed on X/Twitter, during which they discussed the “blessings and curses” that come with the revolution of artificial intelligence (AI), and what it means for the future of Israel and the world.
The two kicked off with a joke about deepfakes and quickly launched into a discussion of artificial intelligence as both a blessing and a curse for humanity.
“We want to increase the blessings, not only for ourselves but for all of humanity,” Netanyahu said of Israel’s AI vision.
He went on to ask what kind of international oversights and agreements are possible around AI and urged that deterrence around nuclear weapons was a model that could work to keep anti-democratic states (particularly Iran) from violating the rules. “Instead of MAD – mutually assured destruction – we’d have MAC – mutually assured chaos.”
The forum in California was Netanyahu's first stop on his official trip to the United States, where he will next travel to New York to address the United Nations General Assembly and meet with several world leaders.
Netanyahu's high-profile visit came at a time when Musk is facing accusations of tolerating anti-Semitic messages on his social media platform, while the Israeli leader is confronting political opposition at home and abroad.
On his government's proposed judicial reform and the civil unrest that it has led, Netanyahu assured that Israel "was, is, and always will be a robust democracy," and urged that he wants a "broad consensus, a happy middle."
When the conversation turned to antisemitism, Netanyahu said, “I know your commitment to antisemitism,” and gently encouraged Musk to “find the balance” between free speech and anti-Semitic commentary.