Elon Musk Predicts 10 Billion Humanoid Robots by 2040

By 2040, the world will host at least 10 billion humanoid robots, each costing between $20,000 and $25,000. This forecast was made by Elon Musk at the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Elon Musk predicts there will be more robots than people in the future in an appearance at the Saudi Arabia FII summit

“Every country will have AIs or multiple AIs, and there will be a lot of robots, more robots than people.” https://t.co/cT9ai0f1wo pic.twitter.com/1E2NgH9zjo

— Bloomberg TV (@BloombergTV) October 29, 2024

The billionaire believes that in 16 years, the number of humanoid bots will surpass the planet’s population.

“Every country will have artificial intelligence or multiple AIs, and there will be a lot of robots, much more than people,” he said.

Currently, humanity numbers 8.185 billion individuals, according to the US Census Bureau.

Gary Marcus, founder of Geometric Intelligence, commented to Decrypt that Musk “likes to make optimistic predictions” about artificial intelligence, and this one is “no different” from previous ones.

“There are only about 1.5 billion cars on the road. Many people cannot afford or do not see the need for a car. The same will be true for humanoid robots. We will not see six humanoid bots for every car anytime soon,” he said.

Economic issues, safety concerns, and significant challenges with hardware and software make the widespread adoption of humanoid robots in the near term unlikely, noted the author of six books on AI.

In October, the head of Tesla showcased Optimus robots at the “We, Robot” event, where they walked among attendees, danced, conversed with guests, and made cocktails. It was later revealed that the bots were partially controlled remotely by humans.

Back in September, Musk stated that in the future, people will need to find new ways to give their lives meaning due to advancements in artificial intelligence and robotics.