In response to Vladimir Putin's claims last week that whoever cracks artificial intelligence with 'rule the world', Elon Musk has said that he thinks the technology will be the most likely cause of World War 3.

Musk took to Twitter this morning to make the chilling warning, claiming that 'competition for AI superiority at national level' could spark a war.

The Tesla and SpaceX founder suggests that a war is likely to be started by one of the AIs itself, rather than a country leader.

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In response to Vladimir Putin's claims last week that whoever cracks artificial intelligence with 'rule the world', Elon Musk has said that he thinks the technology will be the most likely cause of World War 3

MUSK: AI IS A FUNDAMENTAL RISK During a question-and-answer session at the summer conference of the National Governors Association in Rhode Island., Tesla CEO Elon Musk warned that regulation of artificial intelligence is needed because it's a 'fundamental risk to the existence of human civilisation.' The billionaire said regulations will stop humanity from being outsmarted by computers, or 'deep intelligence in the network', that can start wars by manipulating information. Governments must have a better understanding of artificial intelligence technology's rapid evolution in order to fully comprehend the risks, he said. 'Once there is awareness, people will be extremely afraid, as they should be...By the time we are reactive in AI regulation, it'll be too late,' he added. Advertisement

Musk tweeted a link to The Verge's story about Putin's claims last Friday, along with the caption: 'It begins...'

He then followed this up with a tweet saying: 'China, Russia, soon all countries with strong computer science. Competition for AI superiority at national level most likely cause of WW3 in my opinion.'

One of his followers, Jake Blue, added: 'An automated WWIII at that. That's a worry.'

Musk replied: 'May be initiated not by the country leaders, but one of the AI's, if it decides that a prepemptive strike is most probable path to victory.'

Musk's comments were in response to Putin's claims last week that whoever cracks artificial intelligence will come to dominate the world.

Putin, speaking Friday at a meeting with students, said the development of AI raises 'colossal opportunities and threats that are difficult to predict now.'

He warned that 'the one who becomes the leader in this sphere will be the ruler of the world.'

'Artificial intelligence is the future, not only for Russia, but for all humankind,' Putin said during the discussion, according to RT.

But, he warned that 'it would be strongly undesirable if someone wins a monopolist position,' vowing that Russia would be ready to share its progress in artificial intelligence with other nations.

'If we become leaders in this area, we will share this know-how with the entire world, the same way we share our nuclear technologies today,' Putin said.

One of his followers, Jake Blue, added: 'An automated WWIII at that. That's a worry,' to which Musk replied: 'May be initiated not by the country leaders, but one of the AI's, if it decides that a prepemptive strike is most probable path to victory'

Elon Musk has been very vocal about his concerns over the future of AI, and has previously warned that the development of robots will cause huge disruption to jobs

Putin also touched on several other topics during the discussion, including space, medicine, and the capabilities of the human brain, according to RT.

'The movement of the eyes can be used to operate various systems, and also there are possibilities to analyze human behaviour in extreme situations, including in space,' Putin said.

And, he predicted that future wars will be fought by drones, and 'when one party's drones are destroyed by drones of another, it will have no other choice but to surrender.'

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, attends a meeting with students in Yaroslavl, Russia, Friday, Sept 1. Putin, speaking at a meeting with students, said the development of AI raises 'colossal opportunities and threats that are difficult to predict now'

Pictured, Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, applauds during a meeting with students in Yaroslavl, Russia. 'Artificial intelligence is the future, not only for Russia, but for all humankind,' Putin said during the discussion

AI'S ROLE IN DRONE WARFARE Concerns about Chinese inroads into advanced technology come as the U.S. military looks to incorporate elements of artificial intelligence and machine learning into its drone program. Project Maven, as the effort is known, aims to provide some relief to military analysts who are part of the war against Islamic State. These analysts currently spend long hours staring at big screens reviewing video feeds from drones as part of the hunt for insurgents in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. The Pentagon is trying to develop algorithms that would sort through the material and alert analysts to important finds, according to Air Force Lieutenant General John N.T. 'Jack' Shanahan, director for defense intelligence for warfighting support. A British Royal Air Force Reaper hunter killer unmanned aerial vehicle on the flight line February 21, 2014 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Military bosses say intelligence analysts are 'overwhelmed' by the amount of video being recorded over the battlefield by drones with high resolution cameras 'A lot of times these things are flying around(and)... there's nothing in the scene that's of interest,' he told Reuters. Shanahan said his team is currently trying to teach the system to recognize objects such as trucks and buildings, identify people and, eventually, detect changes in patterns of daily life that could signal significant developments. 'We'll start small, show some wins,' he said. A Pentagon official said the U.S. government is requesting to spend around $30 million on the effort in 2018. Similar image recognition technology is being developed commercially by firms in Silicon Valley, which could be adapted by adversaries for military reasons. Shanahan said he' not surprised that Chinese firms are making investments there. 'They know what they're targeting,' he said. Research firm CB Insights says it has tracked 29 investors from mainland China investing in U.S. artificial intelligence companies since the start of 2012. The risks extend beyond technology transfer. 'When the Chinese make an investment in an early stage company developing advanced technology, there is an opportunity cost to the U.S. since that company is potentially off-limits for purposes of working with (the Department of Defense),' the report said. Advertisement

As artificial intelligence rapidly grows, world leaders are increasingly feeling the pressure to stay on top of the technology.

Earlier this summer, the United States appeared poised to heighten scrutiny of Chinese investment in Silicon Valley to better shield sensitive technologies seen as vital to US national security, according to current and former US officials.

Of particular concern is China's interest in fields such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, which have increasingly attracted Chinese capital in recent years.

The worry is that cutting-edge technologies developed in the United States could be used by China to bolster its military capabilities and perhaps even push it ahead in strategic industries.

In the discussion, Putin also warned that 'it would be strongly undesirable if someone wins a monopolist position,' vowing that Russia would be ready to share its progress in artificial intelligence with other nations

Putin also touched on several other topics during the discussion, including space, medicine, and the capabilities of the human brain, according to RT

The US government is now looking to strengthen the role of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), the inter-agency committee that reviews foreign acquisitions of U.S. companies on national security grounds.

An unreleased Pentagon report, viewed by Reuters, warns that China is skirting US oversight and gaining access to sensitive technology through transactions that currently don't trigger CFIUS review.

Such deals would include joint ventures, minority stakes and early-stage investments in start-ups.

'We're examining CFIUS to look at the long-term health and security of the US economy, given China's predatory practices' in technology, said a Trump administration official, who was not authorized to speak publicly.

'If we become leaders in this area, we will share this know-how with the entire world, the same way we share our nuclear technologies today,' Putin said at the meeting with students

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis weighed into the debate last week, calling CFIUS 'outdated' and telling a Senate hearing: 'It needs to be updated to deal with today's situation.'

Even tech giants – who, themselves are involved in the growth of AI – have debated the topic.

This summer, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a Facebook Live video that he's 'really optimistic' about its development, as it holds potential to bring 'a dramatic improvement in people's lives.'

During the Facebook Live session, Zuckerberg responded to several questions, including one which said:

A Twitter user posts an article about Zuckerberg's comments to which Musk responded saying 'I've talked to Mark about this. His understanding of the subject is limited'

'I watched a recent interview with Elon Musk, and his largest fear for future was AI. What are your thoughts on AI, and how it could affect the world?'

Taking a different stance than Musk and others who have warned of the potential dangers of technology, Zuckerberg argued that AI will have a number of positive impacts on our daily lives.

'I have pretty strong opinions on this,' Zuckerberg said.

'I'm really optimistic. I'm an optimistic person in general – I think you can build things and the world gets better. But, with AI especially.

'And I think that people who are naysayers and kind of try to drum up these doomsday scenarios are – I don't understand it.

'It's really negative and in some ways I actually think it's pretty irresponsible.'

Not long after, however, Musk fired back with his own opinions.

After a Twitter user posted an article about Zuckerberg's comments, Musk responded saying 'I've talked to Mark about this. His understanding of the subject is limited'.

Musk has been very vocal about his concerns over the future of AI.

He has warned that the development of robots will cause huge disruption to jobs and believes people should have a universal basic income to protect them.

The tech giant revealed in June he's kept a 'wary eye' on the growth of AI for years as an investor in DeepMind, which was acquired by Google in 2014.