Poverty is an engineering problem: AI and humanoid robots will eliminate it, says Elon Musk

Elon Musk, Chief Executive Officer of SpaceX and Tesla

Tech billionaire Elon Musk on Wednesday doubled down on his belief that poverty can be engineered out of existence, arguing that rapid advances in artificial intelligence and humanoid robotics will reshape global society, making traditional work optional.

Speaking at the US-Saudi Investment Forum in Washington, Elon Musk predicted that AI and robotics will fundamentally restructure economies in the coming decade.

“I see poverty as more of an engineering problem than an unsolvable social issue. With Grok and Optimus, we could solve the labour shortage, drive costs to near zero, and create a future where poverty is statistically irrelevant,” Elon Musk said, highlighting his view that technology, not policy, will be the decisive tool in addressing inequality.

Poverty is an engineering problem https://t.co/cTmpzfwCz1

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 19, 2025

Elon Musk, who runs Tesla, SpaceX and AI startup xAI, said that within the “long term”, roughly the next 10 to 20 years, employment will shift from necessity to personal choice.

“AI and humanoid robots will actually eliminate poverty,” he said, calling the coming technological wave one of the most underestimated forces shaping the future.

“My prediction is that work will be optional,” he said. “It’ll be like playing sports or a video game … you can go to the store and buy vegetables, or you can grow them in your backyard. It’s much harder, but some people still do it because they like growing vegetables. That will be what work is like — optional.”

Elon Musk stated that as AI systems advance and humanoid robots undertake complex physical tasks, the cost of goods and services will decrease significantly, rendering basic needs affordable and widely accessible.

*With Agency Inputs