Former IT minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar has entered the debate surrounding Elon Musk‘s possible removal from the British Royal Society. AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton called for the Tesla CEO’s expulsion from the prestigious London scientific academy, citing concerns about Musk’s influence on American scientific institutions. Chandrasekhar has responded to this developing situation.
Hinton began the discussion with a call for Musk’s expulsion, citing his alleged harm to scientific institutions in the US. He concluded their statement with a challenge to Musk’s commitment to free speech.
“I think Elon Musk should be expelled from the British Royal Society. Not because he peddles conspiracy theories and makes Nazi salutes, but because of the huge damage he is doing to scientific institutions in the US. Now let’s see if he really believes in free speech,” Hinton said.
Elon Musk: ‘comments are carelessly ignorant’
Musk responded to Hinton, asking him about the specific actions that require correction. He called the comments “ignorant, cruel and false.”
“Only craven, insecure fools care about awards and memberships. History is the actual judge, always and forever,” Musk said.
“Your comments above are carelessly ignorant, cruel and false. That said, what specific actions require correction? I will make mistakes, but endeavor to fix them fast,” he added.
Chandrasekhar swiftly countered Hinton with a strong disagreement.
“With greatest respect to your academic accomplishments, but you are 100% and unambiguously wrong,” he said.
It is to be noted that the Royal Society will meet on March 3 to reassess its guidelines regarding “public pronouncements and behaviors of Fellows” after a petition challenging Musk’s membership gained significant support from the scientific community.
The open letter, authored by Imperial College London‘s Professor Stephen Curry and signed by over 2,700 scientists, criticises the organisation’s “continued silence and apparent inaction” regarding Musk’s 2018 fellowship.
