Elon Musk vs Mark Zuckerberg: Do The Billionaire Tech Stars Have A Rivalry?

Tech moguls Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg butted heads Tuesday over the potential threat that artificial intelligence, aka AI, poses to the human race. The Facebook CEO has been praised for his knowledge of AI, but his SpaceX CEO rival has a less complimentary view.

The SpaceX CEO has said he believes the world will meet its end because of AI, while Zuckerberg believes the AI is harmless.

Read: Elon Musk, Boring Company Post Video Of Underground Transportation Car Elevator

Musk tweeted that Zuckerberg's comprehension of AI is "limited." A Twitter user tweeted Musk an article that highlighted Zuckerberg's opposing thoughts on AI, further igniting the geek war between the tech moguls.

Zuckerberg fired back, sharing a post on his Facebook profile Tuesday about his faith in AI. He attached a link to an award-winning paper in his post, which discussed the power behind neural networks — a computer system modeled on the human brain and nervous system.

"One reason I'm so optimistic about AI is that improvements in basic research improve systems across so many different fields — from diagnosing diseases to keep us healthy, to improving self-driving cars to keep us safe, and from showing you better content in News Feed to delivering you more relevant search results," Zuckerberg wrote.

He added, "Every time we improve our AI methods, all of these systems get better. I'm excited about all the progress here and its potential to make the world better."

Read: Elon Musk Says Mark Zuckerberg's Understanding Of AI Is 'Limited'

What led Musk to tweet about Zuckerberg's "limited" AI knowledge? Zuckerberg had responded to a Facebook user's question about Musk's anti-AI views.

"With AI especially, I'm really optimistic," Zuckerberg responded during Sunday's Facebook Live session. "I think that people who are naysayers and kind of try to drum up these doomsday scenarios — I just, I don't understand it. I think it's really negative and in some ways, I actually think it is pretty irresponsible."

Musk has warned of the potential dangers of AI for years, as pointed out by the Independent, who also reported that the Telsa owner discussed the necessity of increased AI regulations with a group of governors at the National Governors Association in July. Musk claimed that the "fundamental risk to the existence of human civilization" is threatened by AI.

Zuckerberg, on the other hand, is comfortable navigating his way around AI — even using AI to enhance Facebook. CNN reported in 2016 that the Facebook founder announced his aims to cultivate an AI personal assistant for his home. Perhaps underscoring that there are many skeptics — like Musk — who are fearful of the potential of AI, one user commented on Zuckerberg's post, writing, "just don't accidentally create skynet," making reference to the "Terminator" franchise.

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