(Paris) Equip a human with neural implants this year and not censor Twitter: Elon Musk held his rank as a world tech star in front of 3,600 fans on Friday in Paris, without however mentioning the Tesla factory of which the Elysee Palace dreams for France.
For two hours at the Dôme de Paris, guest of the VivaTech show, the controversial billionaire, who also owns SpaceX, stuck to his image as an uninhibited visionary, distilling his advice for success to fascinated start-up leaders and aspiring entrepreneurs.
Despite a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at midday, he did not say a word about the possible installation of a Tesla factory in France.
However, he had promised in May, at the “Chose France” show, that the electric car manufacturer would make “significant investments” in the country. “Let’s work together”, nevertheless tweeted in English the head of state after their meeting, at the very moment when the American leader started at his conference.
Elon Musk’s only announcement on this occasion: he said he wanted to equip a first human being with neural implants in 2023 from his company Neuralink, which has just obtained authorization to carry out tests in the United States. “Later this year, we will do our first human chip implant, for someone who has a form of tetraplegia,” he said.
The purpose of these brain chips is to make brains and computers communicate directly, to help people who are paralyzed or suffering from neurological diseases.
During his show, in front of an overheated room, he also defended a Twitter free of all censorship and considered that artificial intelligence risked triggering an “apocalypse” for humanity. Positions that this libertarian has already repeated many times.
“If we’re hit by an AI-triggered apocalypse, I think I’d still like to be alive then,” he smiled.
But he didn’t give up on the bottom. To Orange boss Christel Heydemann, who abruptly challenged him on why Twitter had just left the European Union’s code of conduct on disinformation, Elon Musk replied: if “someone who says something that you don’t like” is blocked, “it’s only a matter of time until censorship turns against you”.
Hiding behind his conception of freedom of expression, however, he eventually admitted that “if you were harassed [on the social network], it was a bad experience”.
By the way, he admitted having paid too much – 44 billion – Twitter. “If I’m so smart, why did I pay so much for it?” he quipped. “I’m not the devil,” he also said with a sardonic laugh to VivaTech co-founder Maurice Lévy, who hosted the conference.
Previously, he had lunch with the boss of LVMH Bernard Arnault, with whom he disputes the head of the annual ranking of the world’s richest of Forbes magazine.
Elon Musk’s show in France is not over: he gave an interview to France 2 which will be broadcast Monday evening after the 8 p.m. news.
Earlier, Mr. Musk met Thursday in Rome with the head of the Italian government, Giorgia Meloni. They touched on a few “crucial topics” like “AI risks” and “natality,” she tweeted.
The American boss, with extreme political positions, has become the darling of conservatives across the Atlantic for his fight against censorship and for having restored the account of ex-President Donald Trump.