Should We Try To Contact Aliens? SpaceX's Elon Musk Isn't So Sure

As the Sept. 20 "Storm Area 51" event draws near, more and more discussions around the topic of aliens seem to be taking place. However, people appear to be split on whether or not contact with any extraterrestrials may be a good idea. In the camp of people who feel such behavior may not be in our best interest is SpaceX's CEO Elon Musk.

A recent poll was conducted at the University of Oxford that showcases just how split people are when it comes to life outside of our own planet. The results found that 11 percent would want a global referendum before making contact, while 22.6 percent said they didn't know. At this time, 56.3 percent of those asked would be in favor of directly contacting alien life, with only 14 percent not wanting to reach out and 9.2 having no preference.

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This uncertainty surrounding the issue of contact was also highlighted in a 2015 document signed by the tech entrepreneur, along with 27 other scientists, historians, and authors. The work warned that such an action could trigger unwanted results.

"Intentionally signaling other civilizations in the Milky Way Galaxy raises concerns from all the people of Earth, about both the message and the consequences of contact. A worldwide scientific, political and humanitarian discussion must occur before any message is sent," it read.

However, Musk illustrated during a talk at the World Artificial Intelligence conference in Shanghai that he does not believe we have encountered anything other-worldly just yet. "There are people out there who think we have found aliens," he said, adding, "Trust me, I would know. We have not."