Elon Musk Says That the Population of Humanoid Robots Will Surpass Humans by 2040

• Elon Musk said at the Future Investment Initiative event that humanoid robots will outnumber us humans in less than 20 years.
• The current population of the world is 8.4 billion. By 2040, the population of humanoid robots will have to cross 10 billion in order for Musk's prediction to be true.
• However, many experts believe that Musk is exaggerating the numbers. Robots are not outnumbering humans anytime soon.

Elon Musk recently predicted that humanoid robots will outnumber humans by 2040 - in less than 20 years.

Every country will have an AI or multiple AIs, and there will be a lot of robots, way more robots than people' - Elon Musk

The statement was made on Tuesday at the Future Investment Initiative event. In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Can This Really Happen?

The current population of the world stands at 8.2 billion. So given the rate at which the population is increasing, we can expect that if robots really surpass the human population, there will have to be at least 10 billion of them.

However, experts believe this is an exaggeration.

Elon has a track record of overoptimistic predictions about AI, and this one is no different' - Gary Marcus, author and scientist

Citing the example of cars, he said the population of the world is 8.2 billion yet there are roughly 1.5 billion cars on the road. That's because not everyone can afford it. This is exactly what will happen with robots too. There's no way everyone can afford them.

Marcus, a cognitive scientist, has a track record of calling out overhyped AI claims. For instance, he recently called out OpenAI for not delivering on GPT-5 or Sora. He feels that investors are mindlessly pouring a lot of money based on what the future could be instead of what's happening right now.

Musk's Own Line of Robots

Musk and his company Tesla are actively investing in their own line of humanoid robots called Optimus.

At an event earlier this month, Tesla unveiled these robots. They were seen performing a variety of activities such as handing gifts, and drinks, playing rock, paper, scissors, dancing, and interacting with the guests.

The company also published a 90-second teaser in which an Optimus robot was seen playing with batteries in a 24-pound tray and carrying it, climbing stairs, and handing out drinks and popcorn to employees.

What's more, two robots are also actively working on its factory floor.

Right now, the company has put these bots to limited in-office use. As per its promise, a few thousand of these robots will be working at Tesla by 2025 and mass production is expected to start by 2026.

Once production goes up and robots are introduced to the masses, their pricing can be expected to range from $20,000 to $30,000. Musk is confident that Optimus robots are set to be one of the biggest products ever, possibly making the company a $25 trillion" company.

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