Elon Musk Predicts AI could Bring an Era of "Universal High Income"

Elon Musk says artificial intelligence and robotics could eventually usher in an “age of abundance” in which people enjoy high incomes and dramatically improved healthcare, although he expects the nature of work to change.

Elon Musk says AI and robots could create an era of universal high income. [Photo: Tesla Optimus X]

Musk made the comments after a Sept. 29 White House meeting with technology executives focused on artificial intelligence and so-called superintelligence.

“I think by far the most likely outcome is an age of abundance where we don't have just a universal basic income, we have universal high income,” Musk told reporters.

He said increasingly capable robots and AI systems could provide everyone with access to medical care better than what is currently available to even the wealthiest people.

“When you have robots, and you have superintelligence, it means that everyone in the world can have better medical care than anyone here, including me,” Musk said.

Asked whether AI could eliminate large numbers of jobs, Musk said that jobs would change, comparing the development of AI with the disappearance of occupations such as human “computers,” whose calculations are now performed by digital machines.

Musk also said AI had not yet caused unemployment to surge and pointed to continued demand for workers.

His comments were made after he joined other technology leaders in signing a voluntary White House accord concerning AI safety. The agreement calls for companies to adopt internal safety measures and independent oversight but is not a federal law.

Musk's vision represents a forecast about the potential economic effects of AI and robotics rather than an established prediction accepted by economists. The timing and scale of any effects on employment, wages and healthcare remain uncertain.