Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has stated that advancements in artificial intelligence and robotics could reduce the importance of traditional monetary systems in the future. According to Musk, as humanity transitions into a multi-planetary civilization, economic value could be defined through physical quantities such as energy, power, and mass rather than currencies like the dollar.
Musk shared these striking assessments regarding the future economic order during an interview with biographer Walter Isaacson on The Builders podcast. A long-time advocate for the idea of multi-planetary life, Musk expressed that in such an era, systems different from today's financial tools might be needed to measure value.
"I think currency will be measured by fundamental physics metrics," Musk said. In this approach, measures such as power, energy, and mass come to the fore. However, it remains debatable whether such physical quantities can independently account for economic factors like resource scarcity, utility, or market demand.
EMPHASIS ON AI AND ROBOTS
In the same interview, Musk argued that AI and robots could be decisive not only for the future monetary system but also for public finance. Addressing the growing U.S. national debt, Musk stated, "I have concluded that the only way to solve the national debt is through AI and robots."
According to reports, the U.S. national debt reached the 40 trillion dollar level in August 2026. Musk believes that large-scale spending cuts are politically difficult to implement in Washington, and therefore, the solution should be sought in increasing productivity through automation.
Musk's approach is based on the assumption that as robots take on a greater role in production and AI accelerates business processes, more goods and services can be produced with less human labor. In this scenario, it is suggested that economic growth could accelerate to a scale that would alleviate the debt burden.
Musk also made assessments regarding his personal wealth. Musk, whose net worth is calculated at approximately 921 billion dollars according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, stated that taxes would reduce his wealth over time and that future generations would only be able to inherit a small portion of these assets.
Musk said he wants his foundation to fund long-term goals even after his death. These goals include humanity becoming a multi-planetary species, extending consciousness beyond Earth, and developing sustainable energy technologies. It was also reported that Musk has pledged to give every American child a share of SpaceX next year, a plan that would correspond to a value exceeding 10 billion dollars at current prices.
News Source: 12punto
