RIYADH — Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX and xAI, appreciated Saudi Arabia for approving Starlink's use for maritime and aviation applications during his participation in the Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh on Tuesday. In a keynote discussion, Musk highlighted the transformative potential of humanoid robots, stating that they could usher in an economic revolution. "Economic output is productivity per person multiplied by the number of people. With humanoid robots, the potential becomes massive—effectively unlimited," he said, suggesting the global economy could grow tenfold with widespread robot integration. Musk revealed that he had presented several Tesla robots to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and U.S. President Donald Trump, noting that one of the robots even performed Trump's signature dance. "It was amazing," he said. "These robots can dance, walk, and interact. I think we're heading into a radically different world—an exciting and good one." He predicted the future could see tens of billions of humanoid robots globally, saying, "Eventually, everyone will want their own robot." Addressing the concept of universal basic income amid AI advancement, Musk said the world may move toward a high universal income where "anyone can have whatever goods and services they want," but he also warned of risks if these advancements are mismanaged. He expressed enthusiasm about Saudi Arabia's future with self-driving vehicles: "Cars of the future are essentially four-wheeled robots. It would be very exciting to see autonomous vehicles here in the Kingdom." On his AI company xAI, Musk said its mission is to build a general-purpose AI that is "maximally curious about the truth," emphasizing the importance of understanding the universe.
