Elon Musk, the owner of X, xAI, Tesla, and SpaceX, shared his dystopian vision for the future at the Viva Technology Conference in Paris. In response to a question about AI replacing jobs, Musk painted a picture straight out of science fiction. He predicted a future where AI will render human jobs obsolete. However, he also envisioned a world with universal high income, not just universal basic income, where there will be no shortage of goods and services.
Musk’s vision is one where humans live a plentiful life powered by intelligent robot companions. But in this future, where money and work are no issue, Musk described existential issues where humans lack purpose. He questioned the meaning of life in a scenario where AI can do everything better than humans.
In the short-term reality, AI is a threat to jobs for low to medium-income individuals. Companies are already shifting towards AI, laying off several workers in the process. However, there’s no universal high income or even much of a social net to help these individuals anytime soon.
Musk’s vision of the future is heavily influenced by the Culture series written by Scottish science fiction author Iain Banks. The books describe a socialist society in which a humanoid species and artificial intelligence agents live in relative harmony, creating a “post-scarcity” economy. This vision, if it becomes a reality, could lead to a new era of AI-driven universal high income, but it also raises questions about the purpose and meaning of human life in such a world.
Read more: gizmodo.com