Tesla CEO Elon Musk warned that if South Korea’s current low birth rate continues, the country could see a two-thirds reduction in its population within a few generations.
According to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) media outlet The National, Musk made these remarks during a virtual discussion at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) held in Riyadh on Monday.
Last year, South Korea recorded its lowest total fertility rate, just 0.72 children per woman. Musk had previously noted in 2022 that “South Korea, along with Hong Kong, is experiencing the world’s fastest population decline.”
He expressed concern, noting that while artificial intelligence presents the most severe short-term threat, the long-term danger lies in global population collapse.
Musk emphasized that increasing birth rates should be a top priority for governments worldwide. He projected that Europe’s population could fall to less than half its current level, adding that this outcome assumes a sudden fertility rate rebound to 2.1 children per woman. If declining birth rates persist, he warned, the global population could plummet to below 5% of today’s figures within three generations.
He emphasized that most countries must prioritize increasing birth rates, warning that without population growth, humanity faces extinction, rendering other policies irrelevant.
Musk is the father of eleven children. He has five sons with his first wife, author Justine Wilson, and two sons and a daughter with Canadian singer Grimes, whom he met after his second divorce. He also fathered three children through sperm donation to Shivon Zilis, a director at his brain science startup Neuralink.
Musk remarked that making predictions for 2040 is challenging but anticipated that over ten billion humanoid robots—AI-based machines designed to think and act like humans—could outnumber the human population by then. He estimated that each humanoid might cost between $20,000 and $25,000.
Musk recently announced that Tesla has installed a supercomputer for AI development and mentioned that the humanoid “Optimus” could be deployed in factories next year. They are expected to be in the market by 2026. He added that he is also working on the AI startup xAI.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that xAI seeks to raise billions of dollars in investments. The reports indicate that xAI is in discussions with investors for funding and is currently valued at approximately forty billion dollars.
xAI plans to secure billions of dollars through this investment round. This fundraising effort comes just five months after successfully raising six billion dollars. The company’s valuation has increased by over 60% during this period. After the May investment round, xAI was valued at twenty-four billion dollars.
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