Kamala Harris poked at Elon Musk while raising concerns about artificial intelligence at the 2025 Australian Real Estate Conference on the Gold Coast on Sunday.
The former United States vice president was interviewed for an hour on stage by real estate veteran John McGrath. Without naming Musk, she spoke of a Trump administration advisor who was an example of a person holding “this misplaced idea that the sign of the strength of a leader is who you beat down”.
“There was someone that is very popular these days, at least in the press, who suggested that it is a sign of the weakness of Western civilisations to have empathy,” she said.
“Imagine. No, it’s a sign of strength to have some level of curiosity and concern and care about the wellbeing of others.”
This comes after Musk criticised Harris's immigration views in an interview with Joe Rogan in March, calling empathy “the fundamental weakness of western civilisation”.
Harris also made thinly veiled comments towards the Trump administration, saying she believes it's critical to remember what’s significant in history.
“It’s important that we remember the 1930s,” she said.
“It’s important that we remember that history has taught us that isolation does not equal insulation.
“It is important that we understand and remember history, which taught us the interdependence and interconnection between nations.
“History that has taught us the importance of relationships of trust, of the importance of friendships, integrity, and honesty.”
She also commented on the state of AI, citing that while it could be a helpful innovation, many don’t trust it, because of the threat it poses to jobs and the spread of misinformation.
“It is important to celebrate innovation, but, again, this may be just the prosecutor in me. One must ask also: are there vulnerable people and are we doing what we can to ensure they’re safe?” she said.
Harris also weighed in on the Australian housing crisis and said building more affordable houses and incentivising young buyers were some of the necessary steps to boost home ownership.
“Part of my platform was and includes that government really needs to work much more closely with the private sector to be clear about what the incentives are, as well as the disincentives, to build more housing,” she said.
“When you look at [Gen Z], among the many challenges they face, greater than any previous generation, the dream of home ownership is one of the greatest.”
