Elon Musk has predicted that advances in AI and robotics could make work optional within the next 10 to 20 years. “My prediction is that work will be optional in the future. Advances in AI and robotics will bring us to a point where work is optional,” he said on Nikhil Kamath’s podcast. Elon Musk compared future work to growing vegetables at home versus buying them. (Image: Screenshot from video on Nikhil Kamath/YouTube) Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has predicted that rapid advances in artificial intelligence and robotics could make work optional within the next 10 to 20 years. Musk’s vision highlights a future where human labor may no longer be a necessity for survival, with automation and AI potentially reshaping global economies and societal structures. During a conversation with Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath on the People by WTF podcast released Sunday (November 30), Musk said: “My prediction is that in the future work will be optional. People can play it back in 20 years and say it was wrong, but I think it will be correct. In less than 20 years, or maybe even 1,510 points or AI points we will bring in. work is optional.” Comparing work to growing vegetables To illustrate his vision, Musk compared future work to choosing to grow vegetables at home versus buying them at a store. “In the same way that you can grow your own vegetables or go to a store and buy them, it’s much more difficult to grow your own. Some people enjoy it, which is good. But it’s optional – that’s how I see work in the future,” he said. Technology and access to goods Musk further noted that technological advances can make goods and services readily available to everyone. “I’m confident that if AI and robotics continue to advance—and they’re advancing very quickly—work will be optional, and people will have whatever goods and services they want. If you can think of it, you can have it,” he said.