The Tesla CEO said he believed it will not be long before advanced AI manipulates social media and called for sites to keep a close eye on bot swarm activity. Mr Musk has previously given grave warning that allowing such technology to progress unchecked posed a “fundamental risk to the existence of human civilisation”. He said there was only “maybe a five to ten percent chance of success” in making AI safe.
He has now turned his attention to so-called bot swarms.
Swarm robotics theory is inspired by the behaviour of social insects such as ants, which use communication between the members of the group that build a system of constant feedback.
The swarm behaviour involves constant change of individuals in cooperation with others, as well as the behaviour of the whole group.
Mr Musk fears the bot armies could create social media accounts which are more convincing or effective and eventually begin to dominate the platforms.
Mr Musk told followers on Twitter: “If advanced AI beyond basic bots hasn’t been applied to manipulate social media, it won’t be long before it is.
“Anonymous bot swarms deserve a closer examination. If they’re evolving rapidly, something is up.”
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The warnings from Mr Musk come just days after Microsoft boss Brad Smith said the rise of killer robots had become unstoppable.
Mr Smith called for a new digital Geneva Convention to protect the world from the threat of robots armies.
He said the use of “lethal autonomous weapon systems” posed a host of new ethical questions which need to be considered by governments as a matter of urgency.
He claimed the rapidly advancing technology, including flying, swimming and walking drones, can be equipped with lethal weapons systems such as missiles, bombs or guns.
Mr Smith said technology, which could be programmed to operate autonomously, “ultimately will spread to many countries”.
Weapon systems with a significant degree of autonomy in the critical functions of selecting and attacking targets are being developed in the US, China, Israel, South Korea, Russia and the UK.
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The technology is a growing focus for many militaries because replacing troops with machines can make the decision to go to war easier.
Lethal autonomous weapons are military robots which can make lethal decisions free from human oversight.
Mr Smith warned: “Robots must not be allowed to decide on their own to engage in combat and who to kill.”