Musk and Hegseth vow to “make Star Trek real” but miss the show’s lessons
Ars Technica • • general
Key Points:
- SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth promoted their vision to “make Star Trek real” during an event at SpaceX’s Starbase, Texas, reflecting their enthusiasm for innovation and military AI development.
- The event’s theme, “Arsenal of Freedom,” coincidentally shares its name with a 1988 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode that warns about the dangers of AI-powered autonomous weapons systems.
- Hegseth emphasized the U.S. military’s plan to deploy leading AI models across classified and unclassified networks, aiming to maintain dominance through an AI acceleration strategy initiated during the Trump administration.
- The Star Trek episode referenced highlights the risks of unchecked AI weaponry becoming uncontrollable and
