Elon Musk envisions a radical future for the human workforce, claiming that Tesla’s Optimus robot could one day ‘eliminate poverty’.
Tesla, long famous for its electric cars, is now pushing into the realm of humanoid robots with its ambitious Optimus program.
While the robots of the future may help with domestic chores, running errands, or take over industrial and manufacturing work, Musk has even bigger plans for his robots.
The world’s richest man believes that robots will eliminate the need for human labor. So far, Tesla has demoed its Optimus bots handing out candy on halloween and dancing, and kung fu.
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Musk plans for his robots to eventually overhaul the economy. “People often talk about eliminating poverty, giving everyone amazing medical care," Musk shared at a shareholder event last week. "There's actually only one way to do that, and that's with the Optimus robot."
He later added: “Optimus will actually eliminate poverty.”
Musk also shared his vision for a future in which Optimus makes working 'optional'. "We'll have, in a benign scenario, universal high income," Musk said in an interview with Joe Rogan. "Anyone can have any products or services that they want. But there will be a lot of trauma and disruption along the way."
Shortly before, shareholders approved Musk’s $1 trillion pay package. The billionaire will unlock up to a trillion in shares if Tesla achieves a series of ambitious targets, including selling a million of these robots in the next 10 years.
Musk appears to be confident he’ll be able to do it, claiming the robots could boost the global economy tenfold—or maybe even a hundredfold.
As a cornerstone of Tesla’s Master Plan Part IV, Optimus robots could surpass human productivity—Musk says each one can work 24/7, delivering five times the output of a single person.
"There's limit to much how much AI can do in terms of enhancing the productivity of humans, but there is not really a limit to AI that is embodied," Musk said.
True to form, Musk spent last year’s 'We, Robot' event bragging about just how incredible Optimus is. “What can it do? It can be a teacher, babysit your kids, it can walk your dog, mow your lawn, get the groceries, just be your friend, serve drinks," he teased. "Whatever you can think of, it will do."
“I think this will be the biggest product ever, of any kind. I think everyone is going to want their Optimus buddy, maybe two.”
If AI has people on edge regarding the future of work, the prospect of robots working alongside—or even ahead of—us is a whole new frontier we haven’t yet confronted…