Overview
- Speaking at the U.S.-Saudi Arabia Investment Forum in Washington, D.C., Elon Musk said advances in AI and humanoid robots could make jobs a choice rather than a necessity within two decades.
- He argued that continued progress could render money less relevant and claimed AI and humanoid robots would eliminate poverty by creating abundance.
- Musk positioned Tesla’s Optimus as central to this vision and described humanoid robots as a future industry larger than smartphones, even as reporting notes ongoing delays for Optimus.
- He has previously floated a concept of a universal high income to support a work-optional society but has not provided operational details.
- Experts cited in coverage questioned affordability and scale for physical automation, pointed to slow workplace adoption, and raised concerns about inclusion, inequality, and the social role of work.