Elon Musk predicts a future where jobs could disappear in 20 years: Are we ready for a work-free world?

CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk, is once again in the limelight for sharing a bold vision for the future. Musk attended the US-Saudi Investment Forum, where he predicted what could happen in the next 20 years. He said, work as we know it, will disappear in the next few years, and it may no longer be necessary to do any job. His statement focused on how automation, artificial intelligence, and robotics will transform society so that people may choose to work only for enjoyment. In addition, not only jobs, but money too will lose its traditional role and importance.

Robots Will Replace Jobs

Musk further explained that in next 20 years, people will treat work may be more like a hobby, rather than a requirement. People might work if they find any personal satisfaction in it. He explained his vision by giving an example: He said just as most people buy vegetables from a store and a very few decide or find pleasure to grow in their backyard. Same way, work will also be more like a satisfaction, instead of a need.

He elaborated his vision and said Robots and AI systems like Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus will likely handle physical tasks. The advanced AI tools, enhancements, robots, and many others will handle and manage complex and problem-solving tasks. They will also perform planning and decision-making too. This will allow humans to enjoy their favorite activity rather than being bound by their economic necessity.

Money Might Lose Importance

Tesla CEO also mentioned about how money would lose its importance and will eventually become irrelevant. The need for traditional currency-based exchange will be reduced as machines will be capable enough to produce goods and services, and hence, there will less or rare shortages of goods.

The concept hint towards ‘post-scarcity’, the idea we generally witness in science-fiction movies. This way, people will be less worrying about earning a living. In such a society, human motivation may come from hobbies, creativity, and personal fulfillment rather than financial reward.

What Expert Says

While Musk’s vision seems intriguing, experts don’t refer to this concept as a perfect one. They believe, robots and AI are still costly and challenging, so thinking that they will one day replace humans in performing tasks is still a fat-fetched idea. There are many roles that require human judgment, empathy, or physical skills, still difficult to automate in robots or AI tools. Economists also warn that technological advances cannot be responsible for all the works an it doesn’t yet ensure equitable outcomes. Scientists and developers still need to bring strong policies and planning to distribute wealth and resources properly for these AI tools, otherwise automation could worsen.