Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has endorsed the prediction by David Holz, founder of the AI research lab Midjourney, that Earth will see approximately 1 billion humanoid robots by the 2040s, Fox Business reported. Responding on X (formerly Twitter), Musk agreed with Holz’s statement, which also envisioned a hundred billion robots, primarily alien, across the solar system by the 2060s, contingent upon stable civilisational foundations. Tesla, a company co-founded by Musk, has been actively involved in robotics, with the development of the Tesla Optimus, also known as Tesla Bot. Musk has previously highlighted the robot’s potential significance, stating: “I think it has the potential to be more significant than the vehicle business over time.” The prototype was introduced at Tesla’s AI Day in August 2021, and Musk expressed hopes of producing millios of Optimus robots with an estimated price tag of $20,000 per unit. While acknowledging the need for further refinement, Musk emphasised the incredible potential of Optimus in the coming years. He aims to bring the humanoid robot to the market within three to five years, envisioning it as an “extremely capable” machine. Although humanoid robots may not directly align with Tesla’s primary focus on sustainable energy, Musk sees it as part of the broader mission to “make the future awesome,” reflecting the company’s commitment to innovation and technological advancement.
Mass unemployment? Elon Musk predicts 1 billion humanoid robots by 2040s
