In layman’s terms, Artificial Intelligence refers to the intelligence exhibited in machines, which are essentially computer systems. With the world continuously developing in every aspect, talks about AI replacing human jobs have been ongoing for years.
But is that possible? SpaceX founder and billionaire Elon Musk believes that it’s just a matter of time before AI takes over all human jobs, rendering everyone jobless. To him, this is not entirely a bad thing, especially when there will be no shortage of goods and services. In a recent tech conference, Elon pointed out that when AI takes over all human jobs, a career will be like a “hobby,” which is optional. If you opt not to work, that’s cool. The AIs will provide you with the necessary goods and services, anyway. Unemployment rates that go sky-high won’t even matter.For this scenario to work, Elon said there would need to be “universal high income” – not to be confused with universal basic income, although he did not share what that could look like.
Now, imagine a world where the AIs attend to all human needs without needing us to work anymore. In this job-free future, what does your life reflect? Elon highlighted this question during the tech conference, and asked,Elon continued, “I do think there’s perhaps still a role for humans in this—in that we may give AI meaning.” You can watch a snippet from the conference here.