Aurélien Fleurot with AFP / Photo credit: JOEL SAGET / AFP 20:04 p.m., June 16, 2023, modified at 20:11 p.m., June 16, 2023

This Friday, Elon Musk was received by Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace to address the topics of artificial intelligence and electric cars. After this interview, the billionaire held a conference at the VivaTech show in front of nearly 4,000 people to express himself on freedom of expression on Twitter and address the issue of implants.

An Elon Musk acclaimed in Paris. After being received by Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée, where they discussed the themes of artificial intelligence and the electric car, the head of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter held a conference at the VivaTech show, where nearly 4,000 tech fans gathered to welcome him. During this meeting, the billionaire was questioned by Maurice Lévy, the boss of Publicis. The American exchanged for an hour with the French businessman, but also the leaders of Orange, LVMH and L'Oréal, as well as the public. But concretely, what to remember from this visit?

Defending freedom of expression

Elon Musk defended free speech on Twitter. The billionaire on Friday rejected the idea of "censorship" of Twitter and again defended the principle of "freedom of expression" on the social network he owns, in response to questions about its compliance with EU regulatory rules and cyberbullying. In front of 3,600 people at the Dome of Paris, questioned by the CEO of Orange Christel Heydemann, the American billionaire kicked in touch and simply said that Twitter respected the laws of each country.

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In passing, he admitted that he had paid too much for the micro-blogging site. "If I'm so smart, why did I pay so much?" he quipped, as he paid $44 billion for the operation. While the boss of Orange challenged him abruptly on the reasons why Twitter has just left the code of conduct of the European Union on disinformation, Elon Musk replied: if "someone who says something you do not like" is blocked, "it is only a matter of time for censorship to turn against you". "Freedom of speech matters," insisted Elon Musk, known for his libertarian positions on this subject.

A human being with brain implants by 2023

In addition, Elon Musk announced that he wanted to equip "this year" a first human being with neural implants from his company Neuralink, whose technology has just been authorized in the United States. "We hope that, later this year, we will do our first implantation of a chip in humans, for someone who has a form of tetraplegia," said the billionaire, interviewed by a child and his father at the end of the question and answer session in front of the 3,600 people of the Dome of Paris. "I want to reassure anyone who may be scared by Neuralink. It will be quite a slow process," he added.

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Neuralink, a start-up created by Elon Musk, received approval from US health authorities at the end of May to test its brain implants on humans. By housing chips in human brains, the goal of the multibillionaire is to make brains and computers communicate directly. The medium-term goal is to help people who are paralyzed, have spinal cord injuries or suffer from neurological diseases such as Parkinson's disease. In the long term, the goal would be to create a symbiotic relationship between humans and artificial intelligence, which could blur the lines between human thought and computer science. On the other hand, the boss of Tesla also explained why he had asked for a break on artificial intelligence. "I think there is a real danger with artificial intelligence. This can be negative, with even catastrophic consequences. After that, I think that the most likely are positive consequences. But I strongly recommend that there be regulation for AI, "warns the billionaire.

A conquered public

In the audience, many students were conquered, like Mathieu. "In fact, we can say that the key is to work to succeed. Especially at the end, his last motivational sentence: 'Passion, we have it. Others don't know we have it. But we have to make other people passionate with our passion.' Frankly, it was a moment that remains unforgettable," says the young Frenchman. However, Elon Musk has not claimed anything about Tesla's investments in France. Not a word this Friday, or even confirmation. There will surely be an answer next Monday night, since the billionaire is the exceptional guest of France 2 on the television news of 20 hours. The question of the Tesla factory in France will certainly be settled at that time.