Elon Musk says rise of AI will make jobs ‘optional’ as AI robots will provide most services

During his hour-long address, the 52-year-old predicted a benign scenario and discussed the potential for a future with universal high income and the challenge of finding meaning in a world where AI would be performing most of the tasks.

Musk on AI 

While speaking about AI, Musk reiterated his views on the importance of AI being maximally truth-seeking and curious to ensure it benefits humanity. This is something he had said during his interview at the 2024 Milken Institute Global Conference held in Los Angeles on May 7.

He also expressed concerns about major AI programmes being trained to pander to political correctness rather than seeking truth. The SpaceX chief, while expressing his dissatisfaction with OpenAI, stressed the need for training AI to be honest and transparent.

The technocrat also touched upon the transformative power of AI that could impact education where it would offer personalised, highly knowledgeable, and patient teaching for students. The chief of the X platform also called for regulation for AI models and urged regulators to prioritise truthfulness in AI training.

On Neuralink

He also spoke about Neuralink at length during the conversation. The host showed a short video of a patient moving the cursor just by thinking. When the host exclaimed that it was an impressive feat, Musk went on to say that with an implantable device, we can address almost any brain or spine injury. 

“The first product, telepathy, enables you to use your phone or computer by thinking. The next product, blindsight, will enable people who have lost their eyesight to see by interfacing with the optical processing areas of the brain,” he said.

Musk said that the goal of Neuralink is to have a high-bandwidth interface to mitigate the risk of digital superintelligence. “The limiting factor for AI alignment long-term will be bandwidth—how quickly we can communicate with our digital selves…Increasing this bandwidth will be crucial for AI alignment and solving brain and spinal injuries, and potentially reanimating the body,” he said. 

About colonising Mars, Musk reiterated that SpaceX’s goal is to make life multi-planetary. He said that they hope to land an uncrewed Starship on Mars in the next five years and send humans there within seven to eight years.