Overview
- Elon Musk told the United States–Saudi Arabia Investment Forum that artificial intelligence and humanoid robots could make work optional and eradicate poverty.
- He projected a 10–20 year horizon and said money would become irrelevant, pointing to Tesla’s Optimus program and referencing Iain Banks’ Culture as a model.
- Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang rejected the premise, arguing that rising productivity will create more projects and keep people busier rather than reduce labor.
- The discussion at Washington’s Kennedy Center featured Saudi minister Abdullah Alswaha and included light banter as Huang joked about “irrelevant” currency and Musk replied, “You’ll see it coming.”
- The panel left unanswered how automated production would be governed, how gains would be distributed, and how current tax-based systems would support people with less paid work.