The rapid adoption and widespread adoption of generative AI across organizations has led to much speculation about what the future of work will look like. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates predicted that technology would replace humans in most things.
Tesla CEO and billionaire Elon Musk spoke at the just-concluded US-Saudi Investment Forum in Washington, D.C., offering his predictions for the trajectory of the technology and its potential impact on future jobs.
My prediction is that the job will be voluntary. It’s like playing sports, video games, etc. If you want to work, [it’s] Similarly, you can go to the store and buy vegetables, or you can grow them in your backyard. Although it is much more difficult to grow vegetables in the backyard, some people like to grow vegetables and still do so.
Musk predicts that AI and robotics will become highly integrated across organizations and workflows, increasing productivity and efficiency and making work optional for humans.
The future of young people could be in jeopardy if the tech mogul’s predictions come true. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei predicted that AI could eliminate up to 50% of entry-level white-collar jobs, putting Gen Z out of work.
But Musk doesn’t think that will cause a problem because in an AI world, work will be voluntary and money will no longer be needed. The Tesla CEO’s sentiments are in line with Ian M. Banks’ science fiction novel Culture series, where traditional jobs cease to exist as superintelligent AI systems encroach on the market.
According to the billionaire:
“In those books, money doesn’t exist. That’s kind of interesting. And my guess is that if you stay out long enough, which I think is likely, assuming advances in AI and robotics continue, money will become irrelevant.”
Last year, the executive floated the idea of a government-backed universal high-income system in which everyone would receive a set amount of money to meet basic needs.
