Microsoft AI chief recalls 2015 lunch where Larry Page predicted von Neumann probes
Mustafa Suleyman, the head of Microsoft AI, told a podcast that he met Google co‑founder Larry Page in a SpaceX canteen in 2015. During the first meeting of DeepMind’s AI Ethics and Safety Board, Page described a vision of self‑propelling von Neumann probes exploring galaxies by the end of the century. Suleyman noted that the board’s independent members were chosen jointly by Google and…
Key points
- Suleyman recalled a 2015 SpaceX canteen lunch where Larry Page described von Neumann probes for galaxy exploration by 2100.
- The DeepMind AI Ethics and Safety Board’s independent members were jointly selected by Google and DeepMind, including Elon Musk.
- Musk later said Page “might be right” about the interstellar probe timeline, echoing the 2015 vision.
Musk, when asked about the old conversation, said Page “might be right” and praised the ambition of reaching interstellar probes by 2100. Suleyman said he has no idea whether the SpaceX setting influenced Musk’s later founding of OpenAI. The story highlights the early conditions placed on Google’s 2014 acquisition of DeepMind, which required an ethics committee with independent oversight.
The anecdote underscores how AI leaders have long discussed long‑term safety and the broader societal impact of advanced technologies, even as they were negotiating corporate deals.
Microsoft AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman recalls Google co-founder Larry Page’s sci-fi vision from 2015 lunch at SpaceX canteen, Elon Musk says ‘he is right’
timesofindia.indiatimes.com · 30 October 2026
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