Despite fears that missile and nuclear tests by North Korea may spark a new world war, Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Elon Musk is once again warning that a new global conflict will be caused not by Kim Jong-un but instead by artificial intelligence.

Musk, who most recently stated a strong dislike for killer robots, took to Twitter in his latest bout of scaremongering, saying that “China, Russia, soon all countries w strong computer science. Competition for AI superiority at national level most likely cause of WW3 imo.”

Musk’s warning came in response to reports from Russia that President Vladimir Putin had told an audience that AI was not only the future, but the key to world domination.

“Artificial intelligence is the future, not only for Russia, but for all humankind,” Putin said, according to RT. “It comes with colossal opportunities, but also threats that are difficult to predict. Whoever becomes the leader in this sphere will become the ruler of the world.”

The rise of AI and the alleged risks it presents humanity has previously been raised by Musk, who in July told U.S. governors that they should get proactive about AI regulation “before it’s too late.”

Proper artificial intelligence — not the kind currently used by large tech companies and even dubious initial coin offerings — would involve technology that is “self-aware,” a computer that could not only outthink humans but could also potentially start making moral judgments based on its own sentience.

Musk isn’t alone in warning against the risks presented by artificial intelligence. Long the subject of science fiction, sentient AI is said by some to present an existential risk. Researchers at Oxford University predicted that AI has a higher risk of causing human extinction than other threats to humanity, such as climate change and asteroids. Microsoft Corp. Chris Bishop also subscribes to the Musk AI viewpoint, claiming that humanity faces a future that includes a “Terminator-style wasteland” caused by “ultra-intelligent machines.”

Others, though, aren’t as negative about the risks. Facebook Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg previously called Musk a “naysayer” and said his doomsday fears of AI caused unnecessary negativity.

Whether AI will be the death of humanity is difficult to predict, of course, but presuming nuclear weapons don’t start getting thrown over Asia in the next couple of weeks, perhaps we’ll all live long enough to find out.

Image: Public Domain Pictures