--- title: "Elon Musk Says Tesla Robots Could Achieve AGI" description: "Listen up, folks: Elon Musk is going to build the world’s first sentient robots — but don’t worry, he has a workaround to avoid a “Terminator”-esque situation. It may sound like a bit of a stretch, but that doesn’t mean the Tesla and SpaceX CEO doesn’t believe it will happen, as evidenced by a recent […]" date: "2022-01-19" modified: "2022-01-19" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/elon-musk-robots-agi" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Artificial Intelligence" - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "Tesla" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "agi" - "ai" - "elon musk" - "robots" - "tesla" --- # Elon Musk Says Tesla Robots Could Achieve AGI ![This just in: Elon Musk is going to build the world's first sentient robots.]() *\Image: Tesla/Futurism\* Listen up, folks: Elon Musk is going to build the world's first sentient robots — but don't worry, he has a workaround to avoid a "Terminator"-esque catastrophe. It may sound like a bit of a stretch, but that doesn't mean the Tesla and SpaceX CEO doesn't believe it will happen. In a recent tweet, he claimed out of nowhere that his car company's recently-teased [humanoid robot](), Optimus, "might play a role" in bringing about artificial general intelligence (AGI) — a term meaning AI that meets or even surpasses the intelligence of a human being. "Tesla AI might play a role in AGI," [Musk tweeted](), "given that it trains against the outside world, especially with the advent of Optimus." For those not steeped in Elonspeak, here's a translation. Tesla's AI research and development department, tasked with making the company's self-driving cars smarter, may soon have a hand in making sentient AI a reality. That's because, as Musk put it, the car's AI will incorporate information and data from its surroundings in real-time, and become even smarter once the Optimus robots are launched. When Tesla's Optimus will make its grand entrance — if ever — remains to be seen. So far, we've only seen a [performer in a spandex suit dancing]() on stage at the company's AI Day last year. While the realization of AGI — much less the reality of one — is still likely years off, recent advancements in [autonomous robots]() and [machine learning]() have [experts atwitter](). Last year, for instance, former Google executive [Mo Gawat warned that bloodthirsty robots like Skynet]() from "[The Terminator]()" series are inevitable — a sentiment in line with Musk's own belief that sentient robots "[are coming anyway]()." When a fanboy asked about the potential for "AGI gone awry" on Twitter, [Musk responded]() that Tesla will do its "best" to keep it in check, and that "decentralized control of the robots will be critical." Though the assurance is welcome, the world's richest man — as usual — remained quiet on the details. It's no surprise that AGI rallying cries are coming from the man whose purported mission it is to [make humans a multiplanetary species](). All the more reason to take concerns over an impending singularity event seriously. **More on AGI:** [*Scientists Say Blockchains "Fit Some Definitions of Life"* ]() **More Muskian madness:** [*Elon Musk Says the Metaverse Sucks and Neuralink Will Be Better*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()