After speaking to Musk and Altman, Netanyahu to set up team on national AI policy

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he will set up a team to formulate Israel’s policy on artificial intelligence.

Netanyahu makes the statement after speaking to both Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman over the last 24 hours. Altma is visiting Israel.

“I intend to convene think tanks in the coming days to discuss a national policy in artificial intelligence, both in the civil and security fields. Like we made Israel a national power in the field of cybertech, we will do the same in the field of artificial intelligence,” Netanyahu says.

The prime minister says he had a long conversation last night with Musk, who he described as “a person whose intelligence and contribution to humanity I greatly appreciate.”

“He spoke at length about two things; One — on the need for governments to understand both the opportunities and the dangers in artificial intelligence. Second — he expressed his assessment that Israel can become a significant actor in this matter in the world,” Netanyahu says.

“I’m sure this is true and we will do so,” he says.

PM Netanyahu:

We are at the dawn of a new era for humanity, an era of artificial intelligence.

Last night I had a long conversation with @elonmusk, whose insight and contribution to humanity I hold in high esteem. pic.twitter.com/ZyyvvntjKC

— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) June 5, 2023

“We are at the beginning of a new era for humanity, the era of artificial intelligence. Things are changing at a dizzying pace and Israel must formulate a national policy on this issue,” he says.