Elon Musk presented Italian Premier Minister Giorgia Meloni with the Atlantic Council’s Global Citizen Award at a gala in New York on Tuesday. Musk and Meloni’s ongoing positive relationship could also lead to an investment relationship with Italy.
During the event, Musk said he was honored to present the award to “someone who is even more beautiful on the inside than she was on the outside. “She’s also someone who is authentic, honest, truthful — and that can’t always be said about politicians,” he added.
The warm relationship between the two was also confirmed by several photos and videos posted by Andrea Stroppa on X. They show the two having a positive time both at the event and during a private conversation.
Sources familiar with the matter told BNN Bloomberg that Musk and Meloni have scheduled a closed-door meeting for later this month to discuss investment opportunities in Italy’s space and artificial intelligence sectors. In June, Italy approved a new regulatory framework that gives foreign space companies permission to operate in the country, a move expected to attract about $8.1 billion in investment. Musk’s Starlink is already operating in the country, but there are still plenty of ways SpaceX could partner with Italy.
Meloni has also expressed interest in artificial intelligence, an area in which Musk is pursuing his AI startup xAI. The Italian prime minister sounded a note of caution about AI in a speech at the UN Future Summit earlier Monday. She called AI a “great multiplier,” but warned that it could amplify global imbalances.
“Machines will not answer this question,” she said. “Politics must ensure that artificial intelligence remains controlled by humans and keeps humans at the center.” This position also closely aligns with Musk’s position on the issue. He has long called for regulation in the field, although he acknowledges that it could slow down his company’s growth.
Musk and Meloni share many of the same views. At a festival in Italy last December, Musk urged attendees to increase the birth rate in the country, which has the lowest birth rate in Europe. He also made several comments about uncontrolled migration.
Meloni has so far refrained from endorsing any of the presidential candidates in the upcoming US presidential election. She has said that she will work closely with whomever occupies the White House, given the long-standing ties between the two countries. Meloni has built strong relationships with centrist leaders from around the world, including US President Joe Biden.
Meloni is in New York with leaders from more than 190 other countries for the annual high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. In addition to meeting with Elon Musk, she also met with Sundar Pichai and Sam Altman, the chief executives of Alphabet Inc. And OpenAI Inc.
Meloni received the award “for her strong support of the EU and becoming the first female prime minister of Italy,” according to a media package distributed by the Atlantic Council.
