What will Elon Musk's AI world look like in five years?
Elon Musk's grand vision of how artificial intelligence will reshape human civilization goes beyond mere technological upgrades. He elaborated on three core infrastructures: Grok, an action system capable of understanding intentions and executing tasks, which will replace traditional search models; a revolution in interaction methods, where within the next five years, mobile phones will eliminate applications and operating systems, retaining only the screen and voice functions, and all actions will be driven by conversations; and the Optimus robot, serving as a carrier for AI to enter the physical world and responsible for performing physical labor. Musk believes that this system will ultimately create a materially abundant society where work is no longer a means of survival but a personal choice. He also emphasized the importance of ensuring that AI pursues the maximum truth to safeguard human safety.
On November 1, 2025, Musk sat in a podcast recording studio and spoke for over three hours without a teleprompter, expressing himself naturally throughout.
He talked about models, robots, Starships, and many political and social controversies. But when it comes to the future, one thing remains constant: he wants to use AI to reconstruct the underlying operating mode of the world.
The development direction of AI is not limited to language interaction or content generation. More crucially, it is about understanding the world, integrating into processes, and driving changes at key points.
At this moment, a clear contrast emerges: OpenAI is talking about products, Google is talking about ecosystems, while Musk is talking about the structure of civilization.
In this interview, he outlined a complete picture of AI in the next 5 to 6 years:
Applications will disappear, and operating systems will no longer exist;
Mobile phones will only have a screen and audio, and all interactions will be completed by AI;
Robots will not imitate humans but replace most physical work;
Work may no longer be a means of making a living but a personal choice.
This is not a fantasy but a roadmap. Musk is not predicting the future but building it.
Section 1 | From Search Engine to Action System: The Ambition of Grok
In the podcast, Musk first questioned the existing search model. He believes that asking users to search, filter, and judge on their own essentially shifts the work that AI should do to humans.
"The future is not about'searching for answers' but 'initiating actions,'" he said. Grok is a system designed based on this logic.
The logic of traditional search engines is to give you ten links and let you judge for yourself. But the goal of Grok is to directly tell you the answer or directly help you complete the task.
Behind this is Grokipedia. Different from the crowdsourcing model of Wikipedia, Grokipedia allows AI to directly read information across the entire network, judge credibility, and give conclusions. Musk said that its principle is accuracy, not pleasing users.
Specifically, what are the differences between Grok and traditional search?
Take a medical query as an example:
Traditional search: Gives you a bunch of links to medical websites
Grok: Directly tells you "This drug has three clinical trials, two of which are questioned, and the risks outweigh the benefits."
This is not just information aggregation but a return of judgment to the individual.
Furthermore, Grok is not satisfied with answering questions; it wants to execute tasks.
You ask: What movies are suitable for kids this weekend?
Traditional search: Gives you movie reviews, showtimes, and ratings
Grok: Filters violent content → Compares ages → Opens the ticket - buying page
In Musk's view, Grok is not an upgraded version of a search tool but an intelligent system that can understand intentions, make judgments, and complete actions.
Users no longer need to click, jump, and filter but directly state their intentions and let AI drive the entire process: understand → judge → execute → feedback.
The essence of Grok lies not in replacing search but in redefining the relationship between humans and information.
Section 2 | Revolution in Interaction Methods: From Clicking to Conversing
If Grok is to become an action system, then how to trigger these actions? Musk gave a clear answer in the podcast: change the interaction method.
The form of future devices he described is very clear: within 5 to 6 years, mobile phones will no longer have operating systems and apps. The devices will only retain two functions: the screen and voice.
What does this mean?
There are no app icons to click and no interfaces to switch. So how do you interact with AI? There is only one answer: speak.
In the podcast, Musk elaborated on this logic in detail:
Future devices will be "edge nodes for AI reasoning." The AI on the server - side communicates with the AI on the device - side in real - time and generates any content you need on demand.
And voice will become the main way to trigger all this.
Imagine a specific scenario:
Now: Open an app → Search for flights → Compare prices → Fill in information → Pay → Receive an email
Future: Say "Book me a flight to Shanghai tomorrow afternoon" → AI completes the entire process
This is not an upgrade of a voice assistant but a reconstruction of the interaction logic. It is no longer humans adapting to machines (clicking, inputting, waiting) but machines understanding humans (listening, judging, executing).
In this system, the capabilities of Grok can be truly unleashed:
- You state your intention
- AI understands the context
- It calls up necessary information
- It completes specific actions
- It provides feedback on the results
This is the meaning of the "edge node" that Musk mentioned: the device is no longer a carrier of functions but a trigger for AI capabilities.
This is the beginning of an "app - free era," and the entrance is your voice.
Section 3 | Robots: The Carrier for AI to Enter the Physical World
Grok and voice interaction solve problems in the digital world: information retrieval, content generation, and task judgment. But to let AI truly change real - life, a carrier that can act in the physical world is needed.
This is the significance of the robot Optimus.
Musk's positioning of the robot is very specific: the robot is not used to imitate the human appearance but is a physical entity to perform human tasks. The focus is not on looking like a human but on being able to do the work.
Specifically: AI is responsible for understanding and decision - making, and the robot is responsible for execution and feedback. You state your needs through voice, AI determines how to complete the task, and the robot does the job well in the real world.
This logic is consistent with what was mentioned about Grok earlier: from "understanding → action" in the information world to "understanding → action" in the physical world.
To achieve this, future robots need three core capabilities:
Perception ability - Identify the environment through the visual system, judge the position of objects, and assess the risk of operations
Understanding ability - Receive AI instructions and break them down into specific executable steps
Execution ability - Accurately complete operations in the real environment and provide feedback on the results
Only when these three links are connected can the robot transform from a movable model into a useful tool.
Musk mentioned that the key progress of Optimus lies not in the mechanical structure but in the in - depth integration of the AI system. That is, to enable the robot to see clearly, think clearly, and do things correctly, which is a more important breakthrough than the appearance design.
For example, you say: "Help me organize the warehouse."
→ AI understands the task, plans the route, and identifies the items
→ The robot performs tasks such as moving, sorting, and stacking
→ It provides feedback on the results after completion
Throughout the entire process, humans only need to state their intentions, and the rest is completed by AI + the robot.
The real application scenarios of Optimus are not in daily family life but on the production side: factory assembly lines, logistics sorting, warehouse management, equipment maintenance... All those fields with high repetition, high risk, and high labor costs.
From Grok to voice, and then to the robot, what Musk is building is a complete AI system from cognition to action, from the digital to the physical world.
And the ultimate direction of this system is a transformation of the civilization form.
Section 4 | The Ultimate Picture: From a Working Society to an Abundant Civilization
When Grok, voice, and the robot are put together, it points not only to technological upgrades but to a more profound social transformation.
In the second half of the interview, Musk talked about a question that many people dare not think about: What will human society be like when AI and robots can complete most of the work?
His answer is: Universal High Income.
This is not a subsidy like the universal basic income that barely maintains subsistence but real abundance. Everyone can have any goods and services they want, and poverty will be completely eliminated.
It sounds like a utopia, but Musk provided a clear path to achieve it:
Step 1: AI + robots significantly reduce production costs
When AI handles all digital work and robots undertake physical labor, the cost of goods and services will decline exponentially.
Step 2: Work becomes an option
It's not about being unemployed but having the option not to work. Those who want to work can continue, and those who don't want to work can still live a decent life.
Step 3: Humans redefine meaning
When no longer anxious about survival, people can spend their time on things they are truly interested in: creation, exploration, learning, and companionship.
Musk said that this is a "sustainably abundant" society: it does not damage the natural environment, but everyone has an abundant life.
But there is a prerequisite for this future: AI must be safe.
One thing he made the clearest throughout the interview is that AI must pursue the truth to the maximum extent. AI should not be trained to only say what you like to hear, and excessive political correctness (which Musk calls the "woke mind virus") should not be programmed into AI.
He gave an example: When some AI is trained to be diverse, it may reach absurd conclusions. To ensure that no one is offended, the best way might be to eliminate all humans.
This is not a joke but a real risk.
This is why Grok was designed from the beginning to seek the maximum truth: it can be humorous and teasing, but it must be honest in factual judgment. In the evaluation of human life value, Grok is the only AI that "treats all humans equally."
Musk said that the reason he created xAI and Grok is not just to participate in the AI competition but to ensure that there is at least one AI on the side of humans.
From this perspective, Grok, voice interaction, and the Optimus robot are not just products but infrastructures leading to a "sustainably abundant" future.
What he is building is a complete system that enables AI to understand the world, communicate with humans, and act in the real world. And the ultimate goal of this system is not to make AI smarter but to make humans more free.
This is the future that Musk is betting on.
A civilization form where work is optional, there is material abundance, and meaning is self - defined.
Conclusion | This is Not a Prophecy but the Future in the Making
In this three - hour interview, Musk did not talk about parameters or show the technical route. He talked about how AI reconstructs the underlying logic of human life.
From Grok to voice, from robots to universal high income, each step is not an isolated product but an infrastructure for a future wealthy society.
While others are competing for the AI market, Musk is designing an operating system for a new civilization.
In the coming time, changes may not appear in the form of blockbuster products but in the quiet switch of the tools, interaction methods, and work forms around you.
By then, the question will no longer be how powerful AI is but whether we are ready to embrace a world where work is optional and there is material abundance.
The answer may be found in the next few years.
Original links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4wBUysNe2k&t=4363s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6_VfR-CyuM&t=1495s
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/31/musk-teases-tesla-roadster-demo-this-year-been-hyping-it-since-2017.html
https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2025/10/elon-musk-described-an-ai-device-to-replace-phones-in-5-years.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/27/technology/grokipedia-launch-elon-musk.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeZqZBRA-6Q
Source: Official media/Online news
This article is from the WeChat official account "AI Deep Researcher," written by AI Deep Researcher, edited by Shen Si, and published by 36Kr with authorization.