Tech

Elon Musk predicts work will be ‘optional,’ money ‘irrelevant’ due to AI

Tech billionaire Elon Musk predicted that within the next 10 to 20 years, advances in artificial intelligence and humanoid robotics will make human work “optional” and render currency “irrelevant” at a panel discussion.

Musk, who is the CEO of Tesla and Space X, offered the bold forecast on Monday while speaking at the US-Saudi Investment Forum, arguing that AI and robots like the developing Tesla Optimus will be the key to eliminating poverty worldwide.

“My prediction is that work will be optional,” Musk stated during the panel, which also included Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. The billionaire clarified that the transition would take “a lot of work to get to that point,” but suggested that eventually, working would be comparable to a hobby.

He explained the concept with a simple analogy, noting that future work would be “like playing sports or a video game or something like that.” He added: “If you want to work in the same way, like you can go to the store and just buy some vegetables, or you could grow vegetables in your backyard. It’s much harder to grow vegetables in your backyard, but some people still do it because they like growing vegetables.”

Musk, who has consistently championed the potential of his company’s Optimus robots to solve global poverty, further suggested that money itself would eventually be phased out.

“My guess is, if you go out long enough, assuming there’s a continued improvement in AI and robotics, which seems likely, then money will stop being relevant at some point in the future,” he said. The constraints would shift from capital to fundamental physics, such as “power, electricity and mass.”

The tech magnate pointed to the work of science fiction author Iain Banks, specifically his Culture series, as a reference for what a “probable positive AI future is like.” For Musk, the end result of these technological advancements is a world where currency becomes insignificant.

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Business

Thinking of working at Tesla? Elon Musk drops a game-changing chips roadmap

In a bombshell tweet that’s already racked up over 20 million views, Tesla CEO Elon Musk pulled back the curtain on the electric vehicle giant’s stealthy dominance in AI hardware, unveiling a relentless pace of innovation that’s set to eclipse the entire industry.

“Most people don’t know that Tesla has had an advanced AI chip and board engineering team for many years,” Musk wrote on Sunday, catching even tech insiders off guard.

The team, he revealed, has already shipped “several million AI chips” powering Tesla’s vehicles and data centres — the very tech fuelling the company’s edge in real-world artificial intelligence, from Full Self-Driving (FSD) to neural network training.

Musk hinted at new innovations: The next-gen AI5 is “close to taping out,” with design work kicking off on AI6.

Silicon goal

Tesla’s current goal: a new chip architecture hitting volume production every 12 months.

And the kicker: “We expect to build chips at higher volumes ultimately than all other AI chips combined.”

This isn’t just silicon flexing — it’s a vision for global ambition.

Musk envisions these chips slashing road fatalities through safer autonomous driving and democratising healthcare via Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus.

Advanced medical car, with Optimus

Musk envisions Optimus to deliver “advanced medical care to all people.”

In a follow-up post, the hands-on CEO noted his deep dive into the process, joining engineering huddles every Tuesday and Saturday — though those weekend sessions will soon wrap as AI5 nears completion.

But Musk isn’t hoarding talent; he’s recruiting.

Aspiring chip wizards, take note: Email three bullet points showcasing your “exceptional ability” to AI_Chips@Tesla.com (mailto:_Chips@Tesla.com).

There’s a bonus if you’re blending cutting-edge AI into the design process itself. No resumes required — just raw proof of genius.

Tesla’s quiet chip conquest underscores its pivot from full-on EV maker to AI titan, outpacing rivals like Nvidia in custom silicon for autonomy.

As EVs evolve into rolling supercomputers, Musk’s blueprint could redefine mobility and robotics.

Wall Street took notice, with TSLA shares ticking up 2.3% in pre-market trading Monday.

With Optimus trials ramping up the latest full-service driving (FSD) version on the horizon, Tesla’s silicon sprint signals a future where AI isn’t just smart — it’s everywhere.

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Business

Google, Meta’s Red Sea cable delays can slow internet speeds in the UAE

Most of the world’s internet moves through thin fibre-optic cables lying on the seabed. When something disrupts those routes, speeds drop — even in highly connected countries like the UAE.

That’s why the latest Bloomberg report on Google and Meta delaying their Red Sea subsea cable projects has raised concerns. The setbacks come after earlier interruptions in the same region left users across the Middle East dealing with slower-than-usual connections.

Bottleneck at centre of connectivity

Meta’s 2Africa cable and Google’s Blue-Raman system were both designed to pass through the Red Sea — the fastest path between Europe, Asia and Africa. Together, these projects were meant to dramatically increase the region’s bandwidth and improve the long-term resilience of global connectivity.

But the most sensitive part of the route, the southern Red Sea segment, still isn’t complete. Meta confirmed that progress is stalled due to “operational factors, regulatory concerns and geopolitical risk.” Other major cables waiting to pass through the same corridor — including India-Europe-Xpress, Sea-Me-We 6 and Africa-1 — face similar delays.

That leaves one of the world’s most important digital corridors struggling to keep up with demand.

Why Red Sea has become so difficult

The Red Sea has always been the most direct route linking Asia with Europe. Now, it’s also one of the most complicated to operate in.

Security risks have made it harder for specialised cable-laying ships to enter the area.
Negotiating permits with multiple authorities slows down every phase of the work.
Shipping disruptions caused by regional tensions add further delay.

Unlike cargo vessels, cable ships can’t simply reroute around a problem. Their paths are approved years ahead of construction, and changing them is extremely difficult.

How it affects UAE internet speeds

Even with strong domestic infrastructure, the UAE relies heavily on subsea cables to reach global internet hubs. When the Red Sea corridor becomes unstable or incomplete, traffic has to be redirected through longer, slower alternate routes.

That leads to effects users quickly notice:

Slower load times for international websites and apps
Higher latency during video calls and cloud work
Occasional dips in streaming quality or gaming performance

There are also cost implications. Bloomberg notes that cable owners who invested heavily in the new systems cannot generate any revenue until they go live — and in the meantime must pay for extra capacity on other routes just to keep up with demand.

Global tech giants try to fix problem

With the Red Sea now viewed as a “high-risk point of failure,” companies are trying to spread the load across more paths. This includes:

Land-based alternatives through Saudi Arabia and Bahrain
A growing interest in Iraq-based links once considered too risky
Diversifying routes to prevent dependence on a single chokepoint

These alternatives may take time to build, but they point toward a more stable, resilient internet for the region.

Big picture?

The UAE’s digital economy depends on global cables as much as local infrastructure.

When major projects like Google’s and Meta’s Red Sea routes are delayed, the effects can be felt here — even if briefly — in everyday internet performance.

But the long-term shift toward diversified routes is a positive one. Once completed, the new paths will make the regional network stronger, less vulnerable, and better equipped to handle future demand.

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Business

Saudi Arabia, US issue joint statement on strategic AI partnership

Following the signing of the Strategic Artificial Intelligence (AI) Partnership between Saudi Arabia and the US by Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Prince Faisal and Rubio affirmed the partnership as a historic step that establishes a new milestone in the strategic relationship between the two countries. It reflects the firm commitment of both sides to advance innovation and technological progress, pursuing a long-term, comprehensive economic security partnership to deepen shared security commitments, foster economic prosperity, and utilize advanced and future technologies for the mutual benefit of our two great countries.

According to the Saudi Press Agency, the two sides noted that this strategic partnership encompasses the supply of advanced semiconductors, the development of AI applications, building and developing advanced AI infrastructure, building national capabilities, and expanding high-value investments between the two countries. This partnership will contribute to boosting productivity and innovation, growth and prosperity, and achieve economic and social returns for both countries.

This Strategic AI Partnership capitalises on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s competitive advantages in available land, energy resources, and geographic location to build AI technology clusters to serve local, regional, and global demand for AI and cloud computing services. This partnership also leverages the United States’ unique technology ecosystem as an engine for economic growth.

The two sides highlighted the importance of this partnership in strengthening economic relations between Saudi and American companies in future technologies, which will pave the way for developing innovative and promising solutions in various critical industries such as health, education, energy, mining, and transportation.

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