“Maybe none of us will have a job,” Elon Musk said at an AI conference held on May 23.

Speaking via webcam at ViVaTech 2024 in Paris, France, Elon Musk described a future where jobs are just “optional.” “You can work if you want as a hobby. Otherwise, AI and robots will provide all the goods and services you need,” the billionaire predicted.

However, Musk believes that for this scenario to happen, there needs to be a “universal high income” and not a “universal basic income”. Universal basic income is an unconditional cash payment that the government gives to citizens, regardless of wealth or job.

“There will be no shortage of goods and services,” Musk added.

AI has been doing more and more things over the past few years, so quickly that regulators, companies and users are struggling to figure out how to use it responsibly. Concerns also concern how many industries and jobs will change as AI continues to proliferate.

In January, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Computer Science and AI Laboratory found that workplace adoption of AI was much slower than some expected. The report points out that the majority of jobs previously identified as vulnerable to AI replacement are not economically beneficial for employers to automate.

Experts also believe that many jobs that require high emotional intelligence and human interaction will not need to be replaced, such as mental health professionals, creatives, teachers.

Musk frankly expressed his concerns surrounding AI. In his speech on May 23, he called this technology his biggest worry. He mentioned author Ian Banks’s “Culture Book Series” – a fictional book about an AI-run society – as the most realistic and “the best vision of AI in the future”.

However, in a future without jobs, Musk questions whether people will feel emotionally fulfilled. “The real question would be if computers and robots could do everything better than you, would your life still have meaning?” he said. “I think maybe there’s still a role for humans, that we can give meaning to AI.”

In addition, he also urged parents to limit their 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren’s exposure to social networks because “they are being programmed by AI to maximize dopamine.” Dopamine, or the happy hormone, is a neurotransmitter made from tyrosine, which plays an important role in the brain and body.

Dopamine brings instant joy and satisfaction, making people want more of it. This is one of the reasons why we become “addicted” to social networks without even realizing it.