Elon Musk and Jack Ma’s AI Debate: Tense Moments and Opposing Views

At the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, China, 2019, Elon Musk and Jack Ma sat together in a discussion filled with awkward and tense moments.

One of their disagreements arose when AI (Artificial Intelligence) became the topic of discussion. Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, expressed his dislike for the term "Artificial Intelligence."

"I call it Alibaba Intelligence," Ma said, causing Musk to look visibly surprised. Musk responded briefly, "Yeah, it could be real. You never know."

The conversation grew even more tense when Ma brought up Mars, a topic that Musk has been passionate about for years. Ma nonchalantly remarked, "Actually, I'm not interested in Mars. I just came back from there." Musk appeared unimpressed by the comment.

Ma then stirred the conversation further, calling Mars a one-way trip, questioning why Musk was so eager to go there. Musk simply replied, "That's not how it works."

While Musk has been one of AI's early enthusiasts—having co-founded OpenAI and later establishing xAI—he is also deeply invested in space exploration. SpaceX, which he founded in 2022, made history with its reusable Falcon 9 rocket, one of the company's greatest achievements.

The differences between Musk and Ma didn’t stop there. They also debated whether AI is smarter than humans. Jack Ma argued that machines are not more intelligent than humans, while Musk strongly disagreed.

Their Shanghai discussion became one of the most talked-about moments in the tech world, showcasing two billionaires with contrasting visions for the future of technology.

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