AI Could Surpass Human Intelligence in Five Years, Musk Warns

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has predicted that artificial intelligence could become more intelligent than the combined capabilities of all humans within the next five years, warning that the technology’s rapid advancement may be impossible to stop.

Speaking in an interview with The Economist published on Thursday, the Tesla and SpaceX chief executive said AI was on course to outperform humans in almost every field, except the unique experience of being human.

“I think AI may exceed the sum of human intelligence in around five years. There really won’t be anything that AI can’t do better than humans, apart from being human, perhaps,” Musk said.

Despite long-standing concerns about the dangers posed by artificial intelligence, Musk expressed optimism that its continued development could usher in an era of unprecedented prosperity.

“The most likely outcome is an age of amazing abundance, where anyone can have anything they can think of. This may sound preposterous, but here we are in 2026, let’s see where we stand in 2036,” he added.

Musk said the pace of AI innovation had moved beyond the control of any individual or organisation, including himself, making efforts to halt its progress unrealistic.

“I still think there’s risk associated with AI and robots. It’s not zero. I guess I’ve come to my philosophical conclusion to look on the bright side. I can’t see any way to really stop this incredible momentum of AI and robots,” he said.