September 15, 2023: Elon Musk tells senators AI is a double-edged sword that can do good but also destroy civilization.

On Wednesday, Elon Musk called artificial intelligence a double-edged sword, telling US senators that the technology can be a tremendous source for good but warning about risks to civilization, according to a person in the closed-door session

Musk recounted his earlier trip to the nation and said he presented the risks of deep AI and super intelligence with senior officials there.

Musk has previously stated that unchecked artificial intelligence presents a dire risk to humanity and reiterated that stance in his comments Wednesday.

“I think this meeting could go down in history as important to the future of civilization,” Musk told reporters after the summit. AI development, the billionaire continued, “is potentially harmful to all humans everywhere.”

Musk expressed optimism about the meeting, saying there seemed to be a “strong consensus.”

Musk thought the federal AI department could likely operate similarly to the Federal Aviation Administration or the Securities and Exchange Commission, adding that those in the space had to be “proactive while reactive.”

Musk in July launched his own AI firm, xAI. There has been news from within the company, but Musk has repeatedly stated that AI development must have strong guardrails.