- Putin mentioned Elon Musk’s name in his two-hour interview with Tucker Carlson
- He praised the ‘smart’ Tesla boss who he said ‘will do as he pleases’
- But he warned of the need for international regulation of AI
Vladimir Putin said Elon Musk is ‘unstoppable’ as he gushed about the ‘smart’ Tesla boss.
The Russian leader praised him during a conversation with Tucker Carlson that was released Thursday evening.
Putin was asked by Carlson whether an “AI empire” is on the horizon, with the conversation shifting to Musk, whose company Neuralink has reportedly implanted a microchip in a human brain.
‘I think Elon Musk can no longer be stopped. He will do what he sees fit,” Putin told Carlson.
‘Still, you’ll have to find common ground with him. Look for ways to convince him. I think he’s a smart person. I really believe he is.
Vladimir Putin said Elon Musk is “unstoppable” in an interview with Tucker Carlson released Wednesday
The Russian president praised Musk, labeling him a “smart person” who will “do whatever he pleases”
His comments came as Carlson pressed him on his views on the development of AI, a sector Musk wants to advance
“So you will have to come to an agreement with him, because this process needs to be formalized and subject to certain rules.”
Putin’s comments came after he warned that humanity is “currently facing many threats from genetic researchers.”
‘It is now possible to create this superhuman. A specialized person,” Putin added.
‘A genetically engineered athlete, scientist, soldier. There are reports that Elon Musk has already had the chip implanted in the human brain in the US.’
He compared the development of AI to the threat of nuclear weapons or the development of gunpowder.
“Today it is impossible to stop research in genetics or AI, just as it was impossible in the past to stop the use of gunpowder,” Putin said.
“But once we realize that the threat comes from the unbridled and uncontrolled development of AI or genetics or any other field, the time will come to reach international agreement on how these things should be regulated.”
Musk indicated he was tuning in for the historic interview, but did not immediately respond to the politician’s name check
Elsewhere in the interview, Putin spoke positively about his relations with former presidents George W. Bush and Donald Trump.
Putin warned that humanity ‘is currently facing many threats from genetic researchers’
Musk had indicated he was signing up for the interview, but had not immediately responded to Putin’s name
About Bush, he said: ‘I know in the United States he was portrayed as a kind of country boy who doesn’t understand much. I assure you this is not the case.
‘Overall, on a personal human level, I had a very good relationship with him. He was no worse than any other American, Russian or European politician. I assure you he understood what he was doing as well as anyone else.”
He also characterized his relationship with Trump as ‘personal’.
But his comments about Biden were less enthusiastic, as he revealed he had not spoken to the president since February 2022.
He also appeared to mock Biden’s continued financial support for Ukraine. The US has sent about $75 billion to the war-torn country.
“If you really want to stop fighting, you have to stop supplying weapons,” Putin said. It will be over in a few weeks. That is it. And then we can agree on some conditions before you do that, stop,” he said.
The two-hour interview was posted on Carlson’s website, the Tucker Carlson Network, shortly before 6 p.m. Thursday.
The interview contains a series of bombshell claims, including that Russia continues to develop hypersonic missiles that are “superior to all others” and that Bill Clinton offered Russia a place in NATO but was overruled by his staff.