Elon Musk predicts that AI and humanoid robots will play a big role in supporting humans, but still have a 20% chance of causing humanity to perish.
“Humanoid robots and AI can do everything we do, but better. The happy future of AI is a time of abundance, where there is no shortage of goods and services, and people have everything they want,” Musk said on the All In podcast on September 11. “There is an 80% chance that this future will come true, as the tech industry tries to integrate AI into our daily lives.”
American billionaire Elon Musk in Paris, France. Photo: Reuters
Musk then mentioned Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus . He envisions his multi-purpose robot helping with gardening, 𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑦sitting, and dog walking. He also said the robot would cost around $20,000 .
However, the American billionaire believes that there is still a 20% risk of “humans being destroyed” by AI and humanoid robots. He predicts that technology will soon “cause a crisis of thought” when they perform normal tasks faster and better than humans. They can then move on to more dangerous actions.
Musk also predicted that the number of robots will outnumber the human population on Earth in the next 30 years. Regarding Optimus, he said it would take Tesla 5-6 years to reach production of 1 million units per year, although he said he may be “overly optimistic” about the timelines.
He believes that when AI and humanoid robots reach their peak, humans could be freed from labor, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. “The bigger challenge with AI is that people don’t know what to do anymore,” Musk said.
Musk said more and more people are enjoying life after retirement, but he won’t be retiring anytime soon. He currently directly participates in the management of six companies: Tesla, X, SpaceX, The Boring Company, Neuralink and xAI.
