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Vinod Khosla has no doubt that humanity’s future with artificial intelligence is bright.
The Sun Microsystems co-founder turned prominent investor predicts that “the need for work will disappear” almost entirely thanks to artificial intelligence.
“Almost all expertise, it doesn’t matter whether you’re talking about primary care doctors, mental health therapists, oncologists, structural engineers or accountants — all of that can be almost free,” he said Monday in a conversation with a TechCrunch editor. President Connie Loizos at the annual TechCrunch Disrupt conference.
When asked why he was so optimistic about a future filled with artificial intelligence, Khosla said that a world where most human labor is free would have “great abundance,” adding that GDP growth would increase from “2% to more than 5%.”
Since many people are concerned that AI could be harmful to society, Khosla recently wrote an article titled: Artificial Intelligence: Dystopia or Utopia?
On stage today, he summarized some points from the 13,150-word article.
Despite his optimism, Khosla acknowledged the potential risks of artificial intelligence.
“Sentient AI could have tried to kill humanity,” he said, adding that AI safety must be addressed, though he strongly disagreed with California’s now-vetoed AI bill, SB 1047.
However, Khosla’s biggest concern is the use of artificial intelligence by American competitors.
“On the whole, the greatest risk we face is the presence of powerful artificial intelligence in the hands of our adversaries,” he said. “I mostly think of President Xi, and I think of Putin.”
For months, Khosla has defended open source AI, citing concerns about its potential exploitation by China.
In addition to concerns that adversaries might weaponize AI, Khosla said the technology could ultimately lead to increased income inequality.
“Capitalism tends to concentrate wealth, so we have to have an equalization policy where everyone has a stake,” said the venture capitalist, a proponent of universal basic income and income redistribution.
Khosla has been bullish on artificial intelligence long before the technology’s recent breakthroughs. He explained that his 2018 investment in OpenAI “was an easy decision to make,” even though what the company was building was still somewhat mysterious.
Khosla Ventures was one of the first institutional investors in OpenAI. The company’s initial $50 million check bought a 5% stake in the company, which is now worth $157 billion.
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