Elon Musk Makes Shocking Future Predictions At The World Economic Forum In Davos

So I want to get into uh the dirt the the meaningful component about technology the possibilities um I want to talk about AI and robotics

energy space and the progress ultimately coming down to engineering engineering discipline scale execution

um and few few people if not anyone has the experience and the fortitude to confront these issues head on not just the ideas, but the execution across so

many different technologies, Elon, and that's why I thought it was important for us to have this dialogue here uh in Davos. So, you're presently building on

Davos. So, you're presently building on AI, on robotics, on space, on energy, all at the same time. When you look across those efforts,

what do they have in common from an engineering standpoint?

Uh, well, they're all very difficult technology challenges. Um but the

technology challenges. Um but the uh the overall goal of my companies is to maximize the future of civilization like

basically maximize the probability that civilization has a great future um and uh to expand consciousness beyond earth.

So take SpaceX for example that SpaceX is about build advancing rocket technology to the point where we can extend life and consciousness beyond

earth. uh to the moon, to Mars, uh

earth. uh to the moon, to Mars, uh eventually to other star systems. And uh and I think we should always view

consciousness uh life as we know it as as precarious and delicate. Um because

to the best of our knowledge, we we we don't know of life anywhere else. You

know, I'm often asked um are there aliens among us? And I'll say that I am one but or you're from the future. They don't

believe me.

Okay.

Um, so, uh, but I I I think if anyone would know if there are aliens among us, it would be me. Um,

and, uh, we we have 9,000 satellites up there, and not once have we had to maneuver around an an alien spaceship.

So, I'm like, I don't know. It's bottom

line is I think we need to assume that life and consciousness is extremely rare and it might only be us.

And if that's the case, then we need to do everything possible to to ensure that the the light of can the light the light of consciousness is not extinguished

because we're effectively the way I view it is the image in my mind is of a a tiny candle in a vast darkness tiny candle of consciousness that could

easily go out. Um and that's why it's important to make life multilanetary uh such that if there is a natural disaster or a man-made disaster on earth that consciousness continues. That's the

purpose of SpaceX. Um

te Tesla is obviously about sustainable technology and uh and and also at this point we've we've sort of added to our

mission sustainable abundance.

though with robotics and AI um this this is really the path to abundance for all. If you say you know

people often talk about uh solving global poverty or essentially how how do we make give everyone a very

high standard of living? I I think the only way to do this is AI and robotics.

um which which doesn't mean that it is uh without its issues. I mean there's we need to be very careful with AI. We need

to be very careful with robotics. We

don't want to find ourselves in a James Cameron movie. Uh

Cameron movie. Uh you know Terminator he's he's great movies. Love his movies but but we don't want to be in

Terminator obviously. Um but but with if

Terminator obviously. Um but but with if you have um ubiquitous AI that is essentially free or close to it and

ubiquitous robotics uh then uh you will have an an explosion in the in the global economy an expansion in the global economy that is truly

beyond all precedent.

Elen can that expansion be broad? Yes.

Or is it narrow? And how can that be created? How can it broaden the global

created? How can it broaden the global economy?

Yeah, it's I mean I mean a way to think of it is that if you have a large number of humanoid robots um the economic output

is the average productivity per robot times the number of robots, right? Um and and actually my prediction

right? Um and and actually my prediction is in the in the benign scenario of the future that we will the robots we will actually make so many robots in AI that

they will actually saturate all human needs. Meaning you won't be able to even

needs. Meaning you won't be able to even think of something to ask the robot for at a certain point like like there will be such an

abundance of goods and services because the my prediction is there'll be there'll be more robots than people. So

but how do you then have human purpose in that scenario? Yeah, I mean, you know, there are nothing nothing's perfect, you know, but um

but I mean I mean it it is a a necessary um like you can't have both. You can't have work that has to be done uh um and uh

amazing abundance for all.

Um because if it's if it's work that has to be done then then then you and and only some people can do it then then you you you can't have abundance then it's narrow.

It's narrow. Exactly.

So um but if you if you have billions of humanoid robots and I think there will be um then I think I think everyone on earth is going to have one and going to

want one. Um because uh you would who

want one. Um because uh you would who wouldn't want a robot to you know um assuming it's very safe uh watch over

your kids, take care of your pet. Uh if

you have elderly parents, uh a lot of friends of mine have said they have elderly parents, it's it's uh very difficult to take care of them.

Expensive.

Yeah, it's expensive and it's expensive and there just aren't enough people to take care of the there aren't enough young people to take care of the old people, right?

Um so if you if they Um, if if you had a robot that could take care of and and protect an an elderly parent, I think that would be great. That would be an

amazing thing to have. Um, and and that I think we will have those things. So, I

mean, overall, I'm I'm very optimistic about the future. I think we're headed for a future of amazing abundance, uh, which is very cool. Um, and, uh, and and

definitely we are in the most interesting time in history.

Um, I think there's more a more interesting time in history.