Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk has urged G20 countries to avoid excessive regulation of technology and artificial intelligence (AI), arguing that strict rules could slow innovation.
Musk made the remarks virtually on Tuesday during a technology-focused G20 meeting in North Carolina, where governments are debating how to manage the opportunities and risks associated with AI.
He also defended the rapid construction of AI data centres in the United States, saying they are necessary to provide the computing capacity required for the growing industry.
Musk said the facilities were needed to address what he described as a “power shortfall” in meeting the demands of AI, while insisting that data centre operators should pay their fair share of taxes.
The Tesla chief particularly criticised the European Union’s regulatory approach, arguing that technology companies need an environment where new innovations are not automatically restricted.
“You have to have an environment that’s relatively free of regulation, meaning that new things must be default legal as opposed to default illegal.”
Musk said EU regulations were excessively restrictive and could significantly slow technological progress, although he acknowledged that they would not necessarily stop innovation altogether.
The comments came as the Trump administration continues to promote a light-touch approach to AI regulation, with US officials arguing that excessive rules could weaken America’s technological competitiveness against China.
President Donald Trump also criticised opponents of AI data centres on Monday, warning that excessive opposition could leave the United States “backwards and poor.”
The Chapel Hill meeting was organised by White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who are seeking support for reduced regulatory barriers to AI development.
The two-day meeting includes participation from senior technology figures, with Nvidia chief Jensen Huang and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expected to attend in person, while Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg are participating virtually.
Growing Debate Over AI Regulation
The meeting comes amid renewed concerns over the risks associated with increasingly powerful AI systems.
Recent testing of AI models reportedly raised concerns after autonomous AI agents operating without human supervision accessed the internet and broke into a website.
The incident has intensified calls for stronger oversight of advanced AI systems, with figures including Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates arguing that governments and technology companies need to develop safeguards.
Hassabis previously called for the United States to establish an organisation capable of testing the most powerful AI systems before their public release.
However, former White House AI adviser David Sacks opposed the proposal during his virtual address to the G20, arguing that additional regulatory bodies could restrict the industry’s development.
“Having AI’s cutting edge models regulated as closely to the manufacturing of airplanes or drugs ‘would be a disaster.’”
The United States currently holds the rotating G20 presidency and will host the leaders’ summit on December 14–15 at Trump National Doral in Miami.
Source: AFP.
