Elon did an excellent job responding to Governor Ducey of Arizona, whose question seemed to be saying that the government should never regulate or restrict "entrepeneurs and innovators" in any way. Elon clearly thought that position was nonsense but he didn't let his irritation (my guess) show. He flat out said that right now the US government (and by extension, any government) has zero understanding of AI research and the potential perils and the first step is for the government to learn about what is actually going on and then take whatever steps are necessary to "ensure public safety". Unfortunately, many political leaders are not interested in the concept of "public safety" or the "common good" but instead are only interested in holding onto power and soliciting campaign contributions.
At this event I think Elon was more plain spoken and upfront about his concerns regarding AI than I had ever seen him be before. His example of how an AI program designed to maximize investment returns for a portfolio that included companies that build weapons was a chilling -- and entirely plausible -- scenario.
As always, Elon is continually thinking way ahead and beyond just building more EVs and launching more satellites into space. He's trying to figure out the primary threats to the continuation of human civilization and how to deal with them. There are many, and I sometimes wonder how he gets any sleep.
