Elon Musk gave an interview to France 2 on the sidelines of the Viva Tech show, addressing topics such as the relationship between Twitter and the European Union, his fears about artificial intelligence and the future of Tesla in France.
Elon Musk, the billionaire at the head of SpaceX, Tesla and now Twitter, gave an interview to France 2 on June 16 on the sidelines of the Viva Tech show, which aired on Monday June 19. As always, his responses fueled as much controversy as they generated enthusiasm.
The Twitter-EU showdown
Elon Musk, recently self-proclaimed “ Twitter Emperor since its acquisition of the company, has confirmed its intention to comply with European law on disinformation. ” Twitter will obey European law he said, referring to the growing tension between the social media giant and the European Union.
Last May, Twitter withdrew from the European code of good practice against disinformation, provoking a series of reactions on the Old Continent. This statement therefore suggests an easing of relations between Twitter and the EU.
The eternal fear of artificial intelligence
Elon Musk has never hidden his concerns about artificial intelligence, which he considers a potential threat to humanity. The billionaire reiterated his distrust, insisting on the risks posed by AI to manipulate public opinion and, in the worst case, start a war.
Despite his reluctance, Elon Musk is no stranger to the world of AI. He co-founded OpenAI, the company that developed the GPT-4 language model, and his company Tesla is heavily using AI for autonomous driving of its cars. In addition, he created a mysterious company dedicated to AI, and invested a large sum in the purchase of chips dedicated to AI.
The next Gigafactory in France?
One of the most anticipated topics during this interview concerned the establishment of Tesla’s next Gigafactory in Europe. Despite two meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron this year, Elon Musk has remained evasive on the issue.
“ I think it’s a good thing to localize the production [des voitures] because otherwise they have to be imported. It consumes a lot of energy to transport cars around the world” did he declare. A remark that echoes the recent announcement of a revision of the ecological bonus in France, aimed at promoting the local production of electric vehicles.
Elon Musk has also shown a certain opportunism, declaring to be a fan of President Emmanuel Macron, whom he considers ” do all he can” for France. Nevertheless, he refused to confirm the location of the future factory in France, simply saying that he is ” very likely that Tesla will do something in France in the years to come”.
You can watch the replay of the interview here.
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