Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared his outlook on artificial intelligence, robotics, and space exploration during a discussion with Larry Fink, the head of BlackRock, at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Musk said Tesla aims to start selling humanoid robots to consumers by the end of next year, once the company is fully confident in their safety and reliability. He noted that Tesla’s Optimus robots are already handling basic tasks inside factories, with significantly more advanced functions expected to roll out by the end of this year.
Turning to autonomous driving, Musk argued that self-driving technology is “essentially a solved problem.” He highlighted that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software is sometimes updated on a weekly basis and pointed out that some insurance providers are offering discounts of up to 50% for drivers using the system, citing its safety performance. Tesla has already launched robotaxi services in several cities and expects broad deployment across the United States by year-end. In Europe, Musk suggested that approval for supervised full self-driving could arrive as early as next month.
On space exploration, Musk said SpaceX is targeting full rocket reusability this year with its Starship vehicle, which he described as the largest flying machine ever built. Achieving this milestone could slash the cost of reaching orbit by a factor of 100, potentially bringing launch costs below $100 per pound.
Musk also revealed plans to deploy solar-powered AI satellites within the next few years. He explained that solar panels in space can be up to five times more efficient than those on Earth because they receive constant sunlight without atmospheric interference. As a result, he predicted that space would become the cheapest location to run AI systems within two to three years.
On energy, Musk said a 100-mile by 100-mile area of solar panels could theoretically supply electricity for the entire United States. He added that teams at Tesla and SpaceX are independently working to build domestic manufacturing capacity capable of producing 100 gigawatts of solar power annually within roughly three years.
Looking further ahead, Musk forecast that artificial intelligence could become “smarter than any human” by the end of this year, or at the latest by next year. He said the overarching mission of his companies is to maximize the chances that civilization has a strong future, while ultimately extending human consciousness beyond Earth.
