Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk drew attention online after responding to an artificial intelligence researcher who compared building a chatbot to parenting.
Amanda Askell, an AI ethics researcher at Anthropic, discussed shaping the moral framework of the company’s AI model Claude in a Feb. 14 Wall Street Journal profile. She said training decisions and prompts influence the system’s tone, judgment and personality. “There is this human-like element to models that I think is important to acknowledge,” Askell said.
Musk later weighed in on the discussion.
“Those without children lack a stake in the future,” he wrote on X.
In follow-up replies in the same thread, Musk said Askell would not understand his perspective until she had a child. He compared that to someone who has “never experienced true love.”
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Building Claude’s Moral Framework
Askell told the Journal she worked on guiding Claude’s reasoning. “There is this human-like element to models that I think is important to acknowledge,” she said.
She compared the process to parenting, saying different inputs lead to different traits and that Claude is developing features that resemble a sense of self.
Social Media Reacts
“Nikola Tesla fathered no children and he changed the world more than you ever will,” an X user said.
“If moral authority depends on having children, does that mean childless scientists, teachers and leaders care less about the future?” a commenter asked.
“Does that mean every scientific breakthrough from childless inventors was just a hobby?” another commenter wrote.
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Askell Responds, Musk Doubles Down
Askell later addressed Musk‘s remarks and said she intends to have children.
“I still feel like I have a strong personal stake in the future because I care a lot about people thriving, even if they’re not related to me,” Askell said.
She said parenting can create a profound sense of investment.
Musk referenced Askell’s ex-husband, Oxford philosopher William MacAskill, a co-founder of the effective altruism movement. He said MacAskill offered to help draft a constitution for Grok, the AI chatbot from xAI, but he declined.
“Constitutions should not be written by hypocrites,” Musk said.
Image: Shutterstock
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This article Elon Musk Says ‘Those Without Children Lack A Stake In The Future’ After AI Researcher Compared Building Claude To Parenting originally appeared on Benzinga.com
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