Elon Musk sat on stage at the U.S.-Saudi Investment Forum and tried to explain a future that barely resembles the one people live in now. He told the audience that as AI and robotics mature, money loses its weight. He said it reaches a point where it stops being relevant, even though physical limits like electricity and raw materials never disappear. The idea sounded simple when he said it, yet it carried a sense of scale that hung over the room.
He then moved to work itself. In his view, daily labor drops out of necessity and becomes something people do out of preference. He compared it to tending a small garden, where the effort is chosen rather than required. The comparison felt casual, but it helped anchor a big claim to something familiar.
Musk pointed to Iain Banks’ science fiction as a reference point and said the books help outline a positive direction for societies shaped by AI. He has been returning to these themes for months. He has argued that robots like Tesla’s Optimus could erase the conditions that cause poverty. At a recent investor meeting, he said improvements in living standards depend on this type of automation.
He also talked earlier about what happens when most jobs decline. He told Joe Rogan that governments should step in with a universal income. He described it as a high income rather than a minimal safety net and said the shift will bring disruption even if everything goes well.
At the forum, Musk shared the stage with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. The session ended on a lighter moment when Musk mentioned Nvidia’s earnings release. Huang responded, and they tapped their water bottles together. It was a small exchange that contrasted with the scale of everything Musk had described just moments earlier.
Notes: This post was edited/created using GenAI tools with human oversight. Image: DIW-Aigen.
Read next: OpenAI Introduces a Free Classroom-Ready Version of ChatGPT for Teachers
He then moved to work itself. In his view, daily labor drops out of necessity and becomes something people do out of preference. He compared it to tending a small garden, where the effort is chosen rather than required. The comparison felt casual, but it helped anchor a big claim to something familiar.
Musk pointed to Iain Banks’ science fiction as a reference point and said the books help outline a positive direction for societies shaped by AI. He has been returning to these themes for months. He has argued that robots like Tesla’s Optimus could erase the conditions that cause poverty. At a recent investor meeting, he said improvements in living standards depend on this type of automation.
He also talked earlier about what happens when most jobs decline. He told Joe Rogan that governments should step in with a universal income. He described it as a high income rather than a minimal safety net and said the shift will bring disruption even if everything goes well.
At the forum, Musk shared the stage with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. The session ended on a lighter moment when Musk mentioned Nvidia’s earnings release. Huang responded, and they tapped their water bottles together. It was a small exchange that contrasted with the scale of everything Musk had described just moments earlier.
Notes: This post was edited/created using GenAI tools with human oversight. Image: DIW-Aigen.
Read next: OpenAI Introduces a Free Classroom-Ready Version of ChatGPT for Teachers
