Tech billionaire Elon Musk set off fresh debate at the World Economic Forum on Thursday by predicting that artificial intelligence will become smarter than any human before the end of 2026 and could exceed the collective intelligence of humanity within five years. Speaking on a Davos panel alongside Larry Fink of BlackRock, Musk said the pace of AI development is accelerating so rapidly that traditional timelines no longer apply.
Musk told the audience he expects AI systems to outstrip individual human intelligence “by the end of this year,” adding that within roughly five years—around 2030 or 2031—AI could surpass all humans combined. He said the convergence of artificial intelligence and robotics would drive unprecedented economic expansion, predicting that humanoid robots could be available for public purchase as early as next year.
According to Musk, robots will increasingly take over routine and physically demanding tasks, transforming how societies function and dramatically reducing the need for human labour. He suggested a future in which robots become so abundant that they outnumber people, eventually manufacturing other robots themselves. Musk argued that such technology could ease everyday life, from caring for elderly parents to supervising children and pets, provided safety concerns are adequately addressed.
The billionaire said his companies—including Tesla, SpaceX, and Starlink—are driven by a broader mission to “maximize the probability that civilisation has a great future.” His comments came as xAI, his AI venture, faces scrutiny over its chatbot Grok and concerns related to image-generation features.
Musk’s appearance at Davos drew attention given his long-standing criticism of the forum, which he has previously derided as elitist and disconnected from ordinary people. Despite that scepticism, his remarks at the Swiss resort underscored the central role AI now plays in global economic and political conversations—and highlighted growing uncertainty over how quickly the technology may reshape the world.