Elon Musk says “what do you need money for?” as AI and robots could make money pointless

In a recent interview with The Economist, Elon Musk predicted that within roughly ten years artificial intelligence and robots would make money pointless, because automated production could deliver everyday goods in such abundance that no one would need to pay for them. The claim drew attention given Musk’s status as the world’s richest person and the unusual influence of his statements, and Nobel Prize-winning economist Daron Acemoglu responded on social media by challenging him to promise to donate his nearly $1 trillion fortune to charity by 2036. According to the report, Musk answered that he intended to take some similar action, though he gave no details. The commentary around the exchange also notes Musk’s history of bold forecasts, including crewed Mars missions, fully autonomous cars, and robotaxis, that have so far not been realized.