AIs in charge by 2036
Musk stated that by 2036 the most likely outcome is incredible abundance and AIs would be in charge.
Snapshot · Economist Podcasts
The Elon game: Musk’s vision of the future
Explore episode
Jul 24, 2026
Where this was said
Musk's AI Vision: Superintelligence, Abundance, and Machines in Charge
At 6:12 · chapter starts 5:50
This is the intellectual centrepiece of the interview. Musk lays out a sweeping prediction: AI surpasses total human intelligence in roughly five years, and ten years from now — 2036 — the world will be characterised by incredible abundance for all, with AIs in charge and money an irrelevant concept [1] — Elon Musk "Musk told The Economist that AI will exceed the sum of human intelligence in around five years, and by 2036 'the AIs would be in charge.' H…" 05:40 . Minton Beddoes presses on the striking reversal: a decade ago, in a podcast with Neil deGrasse Tyson, Musk warned that recursive self-improvement might leave humanity as 'pet Labradors' to the AIs; last year he put the odds of killer robots annihilating us at 10–20%. Now, his philosophy is to look on the bright side. His reasoning: the momentum of AI is simply unstoppable, so the only rational response is to shape it rather than resist it. He points to the Culture novels by Iain Banks — a socialist, Minton Beddoes pointedly notes — as his model for what a benevolent AI-led civilisation might look like. The exchange is a reminder that the most consequential builder of that future has made peace with it, whether or not the rest of us have.
AI exceeds human intelligence in ~5 years
Musk predicts AI will surpass the sum total of human intelligence in roughly five years.
Money won't matter in 2036
Musk predicted that within ten years money will cease to be a meaningful concept given AI-driven abundance.
From Pet Labradors to Looking on the Bright Side
Ten years ago Musk feared AI so much he warned humanity might end up as 'pet Labradors.' Last year he put the odds of killer robots annihilating us at 10–20%. Now? He says the momentum is unstoppable, so we might as well look on the bright side. The shift is jarring — and revealing.
Musk: 10–20% chance of killer robots
Musk said last year there was a 10 to 20% chance of killer robots annihilating humanity, before shifting to a more optimistic stance.
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