Vinod Khosla has no doubt that humanity’s future with AI is bright.
The prominent investor turned co-founder of Sun Microsystems predicts that thanks to AI, “the need to work will almost disappear.”
“Almost any expertise, it doesn’t matter if you’re talking about a primary care physician, a mental health therapist, an oncologist, a structural engineer or an accountant, it can all be virtually free,” he said in a conversation with TechCrunch editors on Monday. – President Connie Loizos at the annual TechCrunch Disrupt conference.
Asked why he was so optimistic about an AI-infused future, Khosla added that a world free of most human labor would enjoy “great abundance” and that GDP growth would increase “from 2% to more than 5%.”
As many people are concerned that AI could be harmful to society, Khosla recently wrote an essay titled AI: Dystopia or Utopia?
On stage today, he summarized some of the main points of his 13,150-word essay.
Despite his optimism, Khosla acknowledged the potential risks of AI.
“Sentient AI could try to kill humanity,” he said, adding that AI safety must be addressed despite strongly disagreeing with SB 1047, the currently vetoed California AI bill.
But Khosla’s biggest concern is the use of AI by its U.S. rivals.
“By and large, the biggest risk we face is powerful AI in the hands of our adversaries,” he said. “I’m mainly thinking about President Xi and Putin.”
For months, Khosla has voiced opposition to open source AI, citing concerns that it could be exploited by China.
In addition to concerns that adversaries could weaponize AI, Khosla said the technology could eventually increase income inequality.
The venture capitalist, who advocates universal basic income and income redistribution, said, “Capitalism tends to concentrate wealth, so we need policies that equalize so that everyone has a stake.”
Khosla was optimistic about AI long before the technology made recent breakthroughs. He explained that investing in OpenAI in 2018 “was an easy decision,” even though what the company was building was still somewhat vague.
Khosla Ventures was one of OpenAI’s first institutional investors. The company’s initial $50 million check bought a 5% stake in a company now valued at $157 billion.
