Elon Musk, the world's richest man and CEO of Tesla, gave an exclusive interview to CCTV Finance today, discussing the future landscape of artificial intelligence and humanoid robots. He predicted that universal high income will be achieved in the future, the significance of money will gradually diminish, and the number of humanoid robots will reach at least one billion within ten years.
In the interview, Musk stated that numerous "one-person companies" will emerge in the future, as one individual could control hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of physical robots and digital agents, greatly amplifying human productivity. When robots and AI can produce goods and services far exceeding human consumption capacity, universal high income will become a reality, and the importance of money will consequently decline.
Regarding humanoid robots, Musk offered an even bolder prediction. He believes there will be at least one billion humanoid robots within ten years; if the number roughly doubles every year, it will increase tenfold every three to four years. Based on this projection, the number of humanoid robots could reach 10 billion in the next 15 years and 100 billion in 20 years. At that point, robotic productivity will surpass the total productive capacity of all humanity.
Musk also outlined future applications for robots in daily life: everyone could have their own dedicated robot to care for aging parents, look after children, serve as one-on-one tutors, and handle various tasks. In the future world, a single person aided by AI and robots will be able to accomplish what previously required an entire team.
It is reported that Musk previously revealed that Tesla's humanoid robot "Optimus Gen 3" is nearing completion of development, with production expected to begin this summer and mass production scaling up next year. In an interview this March, he stated that AI has entered a stage of "recursive self-improvement," and full AI automation could be achieved within the next few years.