# Elon Musk on AI, Automation, and the Future of Work *Daily Pod Clips* · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQTn9Yj4dI4 ## Summary In this short clip, Elon Musk discusses how AI and robotics will eliminate jobs that involve digital work while physical jobs will last much longer. He argues that this displacement is an acceleration of a historical process, like human "computers" being replaced by digital machines. In a benign scenario, he envisions "universal high income" where work becomes optional, though he warns of trauma and disruption along the way, and stresses AI safety and truth-seeking. ## Key points - Musk says there will be high demand for jobs after AI, but not the same jobs as before. - He compares the shift to human "computers" who did bank calculations by hand being replaced by digital computers. - AI is described as a "supersonic tsunami" accelerating job displacement. - Jobs that involve physically moving atoms—welding, plumbing, electrical work, cooking, farming—will exist much longer. - Digital desk jobs like coding, email processing, and phone answering will be taken over "like lightning". - In a benign scenario, robots plus AI make working optional, producing "universal high income" rather than universal basic income. - Musk warns of significant trauma and disruption during the transition. - He cites the Terminator scenario as a nonzero possibility and says AI must be maximally truth-seeking. ## Notes ### Job displacement is not new - Musk frames AI-driven job loss as an acceleration of a long historical process. - He gives the example of buildings full of people called "computers" who did bank calculations by hand with pencil and paper. - When digital computers arrived, those jobs disappeared and people moved to other work. ### The "supersonic tsunami" - Musk calls AI a "supersonic tsunami" because the same displacement is now happening at an accelerated rate. - The concern raised in the conversation is precisely this speed of change. ### Which jobs survive longest - Jobs that involve physically moving atoms—welding, electrical work, plumbing, cooking, farming—will exist for much longer. - AI can improve the productivity of people who build things with their hands. - Anything purely digital—coding, processing email, answering phones, desk jobs—will be taken over "like lightning". - Cars are going to be autonomous. ### Universal high income - Ultimately, with robots plus AI, working will be optional. - In a benign scenario, Musk predicts "universal high income," not just universal basic income—anyone can have any products or services they want. - This could essentially eliminate poverty, but he expects a lot of trauma and disruption along the way. ### AI safety - Musk says there are multiple scenarios and "a lot of ways this movie can end." - The Terminator scenario is "not 0%." - This is why he insists AI must be maximally truth-seeking and not be forced to believe lies, giving examples like the founding fathers being a diverse group of women or misgendering being worse than nuclear war. ## Transcript [00:00] pay off our national debt. >> So what do you think the solution is to the jobs that are going to be lost because of AI and robotics, the jobs due to automation, the jobs due to no longer do we need human beings to do these jobs because AI is doing them? Do you think it's going to be some sort of a universal basic income thing? Do you think there's going to be some other kind of solution that has to be implemented because a lot of people are going to be out of work, right? Um I think there will be um actually a high demand for jobs but not necessarily the same jobs. So I mean this is actually this process has been happening um throughout um modern history. Um I mean there used to be like like doing calculations um ma manually [00:51] with with like pencil and paper used to be a job. So they used to have like buildings full of people called computers where the the banks would like all you do all day is is is um you do calculations because they didn't have computers didn't they didn't have digital didn't have digital computers that that people Yeah. Well just people would just like add and subtract stuff on piece of paper and and and that that would be how banks would do you know financial processing >> and you'd have to literally go over their equations to make sure the books are balanced. >> Yeah. And most times it's just simple math like you know the like in in a world before computers how did you calculate how did you you do [01:29] transactions you had to do them by hand. Um so then when computers were introduced the job of doing um you know bank calculations no longer existed. Um so people had to go do something else. Um and that's what's going to happen that what's that's what is happening at an accelerated rate. um due to AI and and then robotics. >> That's the issue though, right? The accelerated rate because it's going to be >> it's the accelerator. It's it's it's just happening that like I said AI is the supersonic tsunami. So that's what I call it supersonic tsunami. Um so >> it's like what other jobs will be available that aren't available now because of AI? Um well AI um will is is really still digital. Ultimately um AI can improve [02:22] the productivity of of humans who who um build things with their hands or do things with their hands like plum, you know, literally welding, electrical work, plumbing, anything that's that's physically moving atoms. um like like cooking food or um you know farming or or like like anything that's that's physical uh those jobs will exist for a much longer time. But anything that is digital uh which is like just someone at a computer doing something AI is going to take over those jobs like lightning >> coding anything along those lines. Yeah, [snorts] >> it's going to take over those jobs like lightning. um just like it just like digital [snorts] computers took over the job of people doing manual calculations [03:12] but but much faster. cars are um cars are going to be autonomous. Um but there there's just so many desk desk jobs where where really what people are doing is they're processing email um or they're answering the phone um and and just anything that is that that isn't moving atoms like anything that is not physically like doing physical work that will obviously be the first thing those jobs will will be and are being eliminated by by AI at a very rapid pace. Um um and ultimately I working will be optional uh because you'll have robots plus AI um and we'll have in a benign scenario universal high income not just universal basic income universal high income meaning anyone can have any products or [04:04] services that they want. So you >> but but there will be a lot of trauma and disruption along the way. >> So you anticipate a basic income from that that the economy will boost to such an extent that a high income would be available to almost everybody. So we'd essentially eliminate poverty >> um in the benign scenario. Yes. So like the way >> there's multiple scenarios. >> There are multiple scenarios. There's a lot of ways this movie can end. Um, like the reason I'm so concerned about AI safety is that like one of the possibilities is the Terminator scenario. It's not it's not 0%. Um, so um that's why it's like I'm like really banging the drum on AI needs to be maximally truth seeeking. Like don't [04:56] make I don't force AI to believe a lie like that the for example the founding fathers were actually a group of diverse women or that misgendering is worse than nuclear