Elon Musk believes artificial intelligence could eventually perform almost every job better than humans, allowing people to work only if they choose to. The billionaire has now endorsed a claim challenging another perceived limitation of AI: its ability to develop human-like taste and creative judgement.
Benji Taylor, Head of Design at X and SpaceXAI, recently wrote on X, “I no longer see any compelling reason to believe that taste is some permanent boundary LLMs won’t cross. It’s already happening.” Musk responded with a single word: “True.”
Taylor’s post raises a question that extends beyond design. If AI can learn to recognise good design, create appealing products and make decisions that once required human experience, how much of an advantage will people retain as machines become increasingly capable?
Elon Musk agrees with the view that AI could eventually take over tasks traditionally performed by humans.
Elon Musk thinks work could become optional
Musk has repeatedly warned that AI and robotics could eventually make human labour unnecessary across much of the economy. In a July 2026 interview with The Economist, he said AI would be capable of performing any job better than a person, with this transformation likely to happen particularly quickly in digital work, including tasks carried out on computers and phones.
However, Musk does not necessarily envision a future in which everyone is unemployed and struggles to make ends meet. He believes advances in AI and robotics could usher in an era of abundance, allowing people to access goods and services without having to work for a living.
Speaking at the US-Saudi Investment Forum in January 2026, Musk said work would become optional, comparing it to playing sports or video games. He used gardening as an example, explaining that people could purchase vegetables from a shop but might prefer growing their own if they enjoyed the activity. Although home-grown vegetables might not be as perfect as those sold commercially, cultivating them could still provide personal satisfaction.
In essence, Musk imagines a future in which people work because they find it enjoyable or meaningful, rather than because they need an income to survive.
He has also proposed the concept of universal high income, going beyond universal basic income (UBI). In September 2026, Musk said AI and robotics could make abundant goods, services and improved healthcare accessible to everyone. However, achieving this vision would depend on how the wealth generated through automation is distributed across society.
Sridhar Vembu has a different vision for the AI era
Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu has also questioned what people will do if AI takes over intellectual work, including software development and mathematics. However, he disagrees that universal basic income is the right solution.
In an October 12 post on X, Vembu described UBI as an “unimaginative and dystopian vision”. Instead, he suggested that people could earn a living through activities connected to nature, nurturing others, culture and spiritual traditions.
His suggestions included restoring soil and water resources, raising children, caring for older people, creating music, playing sports and practising religious or spiritual traditions.
Vembu argues that these activities could become meaningful sources of livelihood if AI significantly reduces the cost of producing goods and services and society distributes the resulting wealth more broadly.
His approach differs from Musk’s emphasis on universal high income, placing greater importance on finding valuable and meaningful work beyond conventional intellectual occupations.
Anthropic research shows that not every job faces the same AI threat
There remains an important distinction between AI being capable of performing individual tasks and being able to replace entire occupations.
Research published by Anthropic on September 30 found that large language models and robots could potentially perform tasks accounting for around 80% of working time in the US economy. However, existing robots remain expensive and face limitations when operating in physical environments.
The research found that nursing and general repair work were less exposed to current robotic capabilities than driving and warehouse jobs. Activities involving human interaction, physical contact and fine motor skills remain challenging for robots in many situations.
This does not mean these occupations will remain permanently protected from automation. Rather, the extent of their exposure will depend on how quickly AI and robotics advance, how affordable the technology becomes and whether people continue to prefer human involvement in particular activities.
