During an interview, American entrepreneur Musk stated: "I'll make one more prediction: by 2036, money will lose its meaning." — On July 29 local time, *The Economist* published the above interview video on its YouTube channel.
Musk also emphasized: "If material abundance becomes extreme, and the goods and services produced by robots and artificial intelligence far exceed everyone's consumption limits, then what use is money?"
This prediction can be seen as a technological utopian thought experiment, whose core logic is that when AI and robotics generate near-infinite productivity, the monetary system based on scarcity will lose its foundation. However, many experts, including Nobel laureates, argue this vision overlooks fundamental challenges related to distribution, ownership, and social institutions.
The logical chain behind Musk’s inference is as follows:
Within about five years, AI's overall intelligence will surpass that of all humans combined; within ten years, robots will take over nearly all physical and mental labor.
Through the integration of digital AI and physical robots, goods and services will be created in volumes far exceeding total human consumption, with costs approaching zero.
Goods will proliferate at a rate much faster than money supply increases, leading to persistent deflation. At that point, the very premise for money’s existence as a “medium of exchange” (scarcity) collapses, rendering money naturally "meaningless."
Musk’s conclusion is purely a logical deduction based on scientific and technological development, yet it faces unavoidable real-world scrutiny.
Three major "fatal flaws" raised by experts:
When money disappears, who owns the goods?
This is the most piercing criticism. Technology can create infinite output, but it cannot automatically determine who gets wealth. Silicon Valley investor Khosla warned that without institutional constraints, the benefits of AI could instead be monopolized by capital, exacerbating extreme wealth inequality and turning the future into a "dystopia."
Nobel laureate Acemoglu posed a rigorous question on X: Since he’s so certain that money will be useless by 2036, why doesn’t he donate his $70 billion fortune right now to test whether he truly believes his own prophecy? Musk responded that he indeed has such intentions, but public opinion generally views this as a clever "strategic move."
While predicting that money will vanish, Musk simultaneously secured over 80% voting rights through SpaceX’s IPO, firmly maintaining control over the company. *The Economist* astutely pointed out: Someone genuinely believing that power and wealth will be rendered zero in just ten years would not go to such great lengths to lock down control over the future.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1872195674816521/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.