Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, suggested on Tuesday that humanoid robots could surpass the human population by 2040, also predicting that each robot will be priced about $25,000.
Musk was speaking at the 8th Future Investment Initiative conference, which began Tuesday in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh.
The Tesla CEO, who plans to launch about five uncrewed Starship missions to Mars in two years, voiced concerns about the existential risks associated with artificial intelligence. “AI poses a significant existential threat, and we need to address it seriously,” he said.
Musk then emphasized the critical role of birth rates in sustaining society. “If we don’t produce new humans, there’s no future for humanity, and all the policies in the world won’t change that,” he said.
The Tesla chief executive anticipated that by 2029, AI could perform any task a human can, also stressing the ongoing need for advanced computing skills and technological transformation.
Separately, Musk said he expects self-driving cars to start operating in both California and Texas next year. He stressed that the models will be safer than human driving
He said Tesla plans to increase production. He expected 9 to 9.5 million vehicles on the road by the end of next year.
In the long term, Musk said, Tesla aims to produce 100 million cars as the company starts the mass production of vehicles with no steering wheel or pedals by 2026.
Musk then argued that excessive bureaucratic regulation was stifling growth, particularly in the US.
He said the biggest obstacle to progress is bureaucracy and “that’s been growing every year, especially under the Biden administration.”
