Israeli PM Netanyahu urges Musk to fight anti-Semitism

Israeli PM Netanyahu urges Musk to fight anti-Semitism

Tech tycoon Elon Musk departs following a meeting in the office of US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy at the US Capitol in Washington, DC
Tech tycoon Elon Musk departs following a meeting in the office of US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy at the US Capitol in Washington, DC. Photo: Stefani Reynolds / AFP
Source: AFP

PAY ATTENTION: Let yourself be inspired by real people who go beyond the ordinary! Subscribe and watch our new shows on Briefly TV Life now!

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday urged Elon Musk to fight anti-Semitism on his X platform as he sat down with the tech tycoon to discuss artificial intelligence.

The conversation, which was broadcast on Musk's X platform (formerly Twitter), came as the Tesla tycoon is mired in row with the Anti-Defamation League, a US-based Jewish organization.

Musk has accused the ADL of making unfounded accusations of anti-Semitism that have scared away advertisers and hurt his company's revenue, and has threatened to sue for billions of dollars.

The ADL has for years accused the social media site of amplifying anti-Semitic hate speech, and has charged that problematic and racist speech has risen sharply on X after Musk completed his $44 billion takeover in October.

Read also

US auto union chief warns ready to 'amp up' strike if no deal

"I know your commitment to free speech," Netanyahu told Musk, who has branded himself a free speech absolutist and welcomed back tens of thousands of banned accounts to the platform when he took over.

"I respect that because it's foundational to democracies, but I also know your opposition to anti-Semitism..." the prime minister said.

PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ click on “Recommended for you” and enjoy!

"I hope you find within the confines of the First Amendment, the ability to stop not only anti-Semitism, or rolling it back as best you can, but any collective hatred of people that anti-Semitism represents," Netanyahu said.

Musk said while his website couldn't stop all hate speech before it was posted, he was "generally against attacking any group, no matter who it is."

"I'm in favor of that which furthers civilization and which ultimately leads us to become a space-faring civilization, and where we understand the nature of the universe," Musk said.

Read also

Slack CEO is ready to ride AI wave

"We can't do that if there's a lot of infighting and then hatred and negativity," he added.

'Blessing and curse'

The main topic of the conversation was the potential fallout from AI.

"I think in many ways, we stand today at a juncture for all humanity, where we have to choose between a blessing and a curse," Netanyahu told Musk.

Musk, who founded his own AI company this year, said he was optimistic that international powers would see the wisdom of setting common rules for AI in order to avoid any catastrophic outcomes that would affect humanity.

"Every sport has a referee of one kind or another so that's the rationale for AI safety," Musk argued, saying a repeat of a nuclear arms race on AI was unwise.

Musk said he recently warned senior officials in China that if AI "is sufficiently powerful, and care is not taken, that digital super intelligence could be in charge of China, instead of the CCP (the Chinese Communist Party)."

Read also

US auto talks at 'critical phase' as political pressure grows

"The CCP prefers to be in charge" and took action on regulation, he added.

PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ click on “Recommended for you” and enjoy!

Source: AFP

Authors:
AFP avatar

AFP AFP text, photo, graphic, audio or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP news material may not be stored in whole or in part in a computer or otherwise except for personal and non-commercial use. AFP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP news material or in transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages whatsoever. As a newswire service, AFP does not obtain releases from subjects, individuals, groups or entities contained in its photographs, videos, graphics or quoted in its texts. Further, no clearance is obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP material. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP material.