Photo : YONHAP News
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has predicted that South Korea’s population will dwindle to one-third of its current level and says low birth rates are a bigger threat to humanity than artificial intelligence(AI).
Musk made the remarks Tuesday while participating virtually in the Future Investment Initiative Conference, which is underway in the Saudi Arabian capital city of Riyadh.
In a session on the future of AI, Musk said AI is the most serious threat to humanity in the short term, but that in the long run, it is the collapse of the global population.
Musk also presented a pessimistic outlook for Europe, saying the continent will have less than half of its current population even if the fertility rate suddenly recovers to two-point-one children per woman.
He added that if the current trend continues, the world’s population will shrink to less than five percent of its current number within three generations.
Musk said the fertility rate should be the top priority for most countries, arguing that if people don’t reproduce, humanity will disappear and all other policies will become meaningless.