Elon Musk expects a world populated by 10 billion humanoid robots by 2040. Priced between $20,000 and $25,000, these robots will serve a range of functions, he told the crowd at the 8th Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Musk, dialing in via videolink, laid out his predictions on the sheer scale of humanoid robotics, saying Tesla’s very own Optimus robot could lead the charge in this next phase of automation.
Musk said the Optimus robot could raise Tesla’s valuation to heights previously unimaginable. “Robotic taxis make Tesla about a $5 trillion company,” he said. “The Optimus Robot, I think, makes Tesla a $25 trillion company.”
Optimus, currently under development, isn’t just a side project for Tesla—it’s central to Musk’s ambitious vision, with the potential to transform how we think about the role of robots in society.
Population decline and “maximally truth-seeking” AI
Musk didn’t stop at robots. He also warned of global population decline and the need for AI that sticks to the truth. Musk didn’t mince words about the limitations of current artificial intelligence systems, criticizing some AIs for what he sees as biased, politically correct programming.
He described some of these AI systems as “woke” and “nihilistic” in their approach. Musk stressed that he envisions AI to be “maximally truth-seeking,” aiming for unfiltered accuracy rather than bending to popular narratives.
Musk is also betting on AI to power space exploration. He’s working on the timing for sending human-crewed ships to Mars, a mission aimed at establishing a self-sustaining human presence on the Red Planet.Musk’s words reflect his long-standing belief that space colonization is crucial for humanity’s survival, and he’s committed to making this vision a reality with Tesla’s space-focused projects.
xAI’s quest for a $40 billion valuation and open-source AI
Musk’s AI venture, xAI, is ramping up for a major funding round that could value the company at an eye-popping $40 billion, according to sources from the Wall Street Journal.
xAI’s current funding target sits in the billions, with investors keen to back Musk’s challenge to ChatGPT. In its early stages, xAI already drew $6 billion in Series B funding, reaching a valuation of $24 billion.
This round saw participation from some of the tech world’s most significant venture capital firms, including Andreessen Horowitz and Sequoia Capital.
Launched in July 2023 as an alternative to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, xAI plans to offer open-source AI tools, with one major development being the ChatGPT competitor “Grok.”
The goal with Grok is straightforward: to make AI accessible and testable by the public, sharing code and allowing anyone to experiment with the technology.
xAI’s open-source approach mirrors what companies like Meta and Mistral are doing, releasing AI models into the public domain to foster innovation and ensure transparency.
Whether the funding talks will go through or fall apart remains to be seen, but Musk is banking on investor interest in AI to fuel xAI’s next steps.
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