Author: Wall Street Insights
Tesla CEO Elon Musk outlined a grand vision encompassing humanoid robots, autonomous driving, space exploration, and artificial intelligence (AI) at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He predicted that AI could surpass human intelligence as early as the end of this year, while Tesla's humanoid robot Optimus will be available for public sale by the end of next year at the earliest.
On Thursday, January 22, Musk made a rare appearance at the Davos forum for a conversation with BlackRock CEO Larry Fink. He revealed that Tesla has already deployed some Optimus robots in its factories to perform simple tasks and expects these robots to handle more complex work by the end of this year. Musk stated that if Tesla is confident in the robot's reliability, safety, and functional range, public sales will begin by the end of next year.
During the discussion, Musk also mentioned that Tesla's autonomous taxi service, Robotaxi, is expected to be deployed on a large scale in the U.S. this year. "By the end of this year, this service will be very, very widespread across the United States," he said, adding that the service has already begun in Austin, Texas, without in-car safety supervisors. SpaceX hopes to achieve full reusability of its Starship rocket this year. He predicted that by the end of this year, or next year at the latest, AI will become "smarter than any human."
During Musk's remarks, Tesla's stock price continued to rise. By Thursday afternoon, its intraday gain had expanded to over 4%, closing up more than 4% and reaching a new high since January 5. After two consecutive days of gains, it erased most of its losses since the beginning of 2026.
Tesla's core automotive business has seen two consecutive years of declining deliveries due to an aging product line and the cancellation of U.S. electric vehicle subsidies. The directions of autonomous driving, AI, and robotics mentioned by Musk are seen as key priorities for Tesla. In early September last year, Musk stated that about 80% of Tesla's value would come from the Optimus robot project, which he first proposed four years ago.
Optimus Robot to Go on Sale in 2027
Musk provided a more specific timeline for the commercialization of the Optimus humanoid robot.
He stated that public sales will begin once Tesla is confident that the robot possesses "extremely high reliability, extremely high safety, and an extremely wide range of functions," allowing users to "basically ask it to do almost anything you want." Musk said this will happen next year.
Musk has previously predicted that humanoid robots will eventually outnumber humans, with billions of machines deployed not only in factories but also in homes, assisting with tasks ranging from washing dishes to childcare. At the Davos forum, he stated:
If we have almost free or completely free AI and ubiquitous robots, the global economy will experience explosive growth on an unprecedented scale. What does this mean for you? Billions of AI-powered robots will outnumber humans and meet all human needs. At some point, you won't be able to imagine what else to ask the robots for, as goods and services will be so abundant.
Tesla is already using some Optimus robots in its factories to perform basic tasks. Musk predicted that by the end of 2026, these robots will be able to "perform more complex tasks."
Although Musk often discusses Optimus's potential, he has previously been relatively vague about production timelines and targets. During an earnings call in January 2025, he stated that a "very rough guess" was that Tesla would begin delivering Optimus to other companies in the second half of 2026. Earlier this week, Musk also cautioned that initial production of Optimus and Tesla's latest model, the Cybercab, would be "extremely slow."
Progress in Autonomous Driving and Space Exploration
In the field of autonomous driving, Musk declared that it is "essentially a solved problem." He stated that by 2027, his company's self-driving taxis will be "very widespread" in the U.S.
Musk said that Tesla's Full Self-Driving software is sometimes updated weekly, and some insurance companies offer half-price insurance to customers using the technology due to its safety record. Tesla has already launched robotaxi services in several cities and expects large-scale deployment in the U.S. by the end of this year. European approval for supervised full self-driving may be obtained next month.
In space exploration, Musk stated that SpaceX hopes to achieve full reusability of rockets through Starship this year. He described Starship as the "largest flying vehicle ever," a breakthrough that will reduce the cost of space access by 100 times, to less than $100 per pound. SpaceX has demonstrated the ability to catch rocket boosters at the launch pad but has not yet attempted to reuse the Starship spacecraft.
Musk also discussed plans to launch solar-powered AI satellites in the coming years. He noted that solar panels in space are five times more efficient than those on Earth due to continuous sunlight and no atmospheric interference. He predicted that "the lowest-cost place to deploy AI will be in space," which will be achieved within two to three years.
AI Development and Energy Infrastructure Predictions
Musk made bold predictions about AI development, stating that AI could become "smarter than any human" by the end of this year or "next year at the latest." This prediction highlights his judgment of the rapid progress of AI technology.
In terms of energy production, Musk stated that a solar panel area measuring 100 miles by 100 miles could power the entire United States. He revealed that teams at SpaceX and Tesla are working to establish an annual solar manufacturing capacity of 100 gigawatts in the U.S. within about three years.
Musk's appearance at Davos was somewhat unexpected, as he had previously criticized the forum as "boring" and attacked the World Economic Forum for "increasingly becoming an unelected world government that people never asked for or wanted." In 2022, he posted on social media: "What is the World Economic Forum/Davos Forum all about? Do they want to be the boss of the Earth?"
During the conversation, Musk stated that the overarching goal of his companies is to maximize the "probability of a good future for civilization" and to "extend consciousness beyond Earth."
Aliens Do Not Exist, Human Aging Is a "Very Easy Problem to Solve"
Musk engaged in a conversation with his friend, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, at the forum, beginning by discussing his values and making a few jokes about aliens.
"We have 9,000 satellites in orbit, but we've never encountered a situation where we had to avoid an alien spacecraft," Musk said. "We need to assume that life and consciousness are extremely rare, and perhaps only we humans exist."
Musk also mentioned that he hasn't spent much time studying human aging but predicted that a solution would eventually be found. "When we find the cause of aging, we will discover that the answer is obvious."
