On November 1, 2025, Musk sat in a podcast recording studio and spoke for more than three hours straight without a teleprompter, his words flowing naturally throughout.
He talks about models, robots, starships, and many political and social controversies. But one thing remains constant regarding the future: he wants to use AI to rebuild the underlying way the world operates.
The development of AI goes beyond language interaction or content generation; more importantly, it aims to understand the world, integrate processes, and drive change at key stages.
At this moment, a clear contrast emerges: OpenAI talks about products, Google talks about ecosystems, and Musk talks about the structure of civilization.
In this interview, he outlined a complete picture of AI in the next 5 to 6 years:
The applications will disappear, and the operating system will cease to exist;
The phone is now just a screen and audio; all interaction is handled by AI.
Robots do not imitate humans, but rather replace most manual labor.
Work may no longer be a means of making a living, but a personal choice.
This isn't a vision; it's a roadmap. Musk isn't predicting the future; he's building it.
Section 1 | From Search Engines to Action Systems: Grok's Ambition
In the podcast, Musk first questioned the existing search model. He argued that letting users search, filter, and judge for themselves essentially pushes the work that AI should be doing onto humans.
“The future is not about ‘searching for answers,’ but about ‘taking action,’” he said, adding that Grok is a system designed based on this logic.
Traditional search engines work by providing ten links and letting you decide for yourself. Grok's goal, however, is to either give you the answer directly or complete the task for you.
The support behind this is Grokipedia. Unlike Wikipedia's crowdsourcing model, Grokipedia uses AI to directly read information from across the internet, assess credibility, and draw conclusions. Musk says its principle is accuracy, not pleasing users.
Specifically, what are the differences between Grok and traditional search?
Take a medical inquiry as an example:
Traditional search: gives you a bunch of medical website links
Grok: He'll tell you straight up, "This drug has three clinical trials, two of which are being questioned; the risks outweigh the benefits."
This is not just about information aggregation, but about returning judgment to the individual.
Furthermore, Grok is not content with simply answering questions; it wants to perform tasks.
You ask: What movies are suitable for children to watch this weekend?
Traditional search: provides you with movie reviews, showtimes, and ratings.
Grok: Filter violent content → Check age → Open ticket purchase page
In Musk's view, Grok is not an upgraded version of a search tool, but an intelligent system that can understand intent, make judgments, and complete actions.
Users no longer need to click, jump, or filter; instead, they can simply state their intentions and let AI drive the entire process: understanding → judgment → execution → feedback.
The essence of Grok is not to replace search, but to redefine the relationship between people and information.
Section 2 | The Revolution in Interaction: From Click to Dialogue
If Grok is to become an action system, how are these actions triggered? Musk gave a clear answer in the podcast: change the way we interact.
His description of the future device form is very clear: within 5 to 6 years, mobile phones will no longer have operating systems and apps, and devices will only retain two functions: screen and voice.
what does that mean?
There are no app icons to click, no interfaces to switch between, so how do you interact with AI? There's only one answer: speak.
In the podcast, Musk elaborated on this logic:
Future devices will be "edge nodes for AI inference," where AI on the server side communicates with AI on the device side in real time to generate any content you need on demand.
And voice will become the primary way to trigger all of this.
Imagine a specific scenario:
Now: Open the App → Search for flights → Compare prices → Fill in information → Pay → Receive email
In the future: Say "Book me a flight to Shanghai for tomorrow afternoon" → AI completes the entire process.
This is not an upgrade to voice assistants, but a reconstruction of interaction logic. It is no longer about humans adapting to machines (clicking, inputting, waiting), but about machines understanding humans (listening, judging, executing).
Within this system, Grok's true power can be unleashed:
You state your intention
AI understands context
Call necessary information
Complete specific actions
Feedback results
This is what Musk meant by "edge node": the device is no longer a carrier of functionality, but a trigger for AI capabilities.
This marks the beginning of an "app-free era," and your voice is the gateway.
Section 3 | Robots: The Vehicle for AI to Enter the Physical World
Grok and voice interaction address problems in the digital world: information retrieval, content generation, and task judgment. However, for AI to truly change real life, a physical, hands-on platform is needed.
This is the significance of robots.
Musk's vision for robots is very specific: robots are not meant to mimic human appearances, but rather to be physical entities that perform human tasks. The focus is not on whether they look like humans, but on whether they can do the work.
Specifically: AI is responsible for understanding and decision-making, while robots are responsible for execution and feedback. You express your needs via voice, AI determines how to accomplish them, and the robot performs the task in the real world.
This logic is consistent with the Grok theory mentioned earlier: it extends from "understanding → action" in the information world to "understanding → action" in the physical world.
To achieve this, future robots will need three core capabilities:
Perception capabilities – using the visual system to identify the environment, determine the position of objects, and assess operational risks.
Comprehension ability – receiving AI instructions and breaking them down into specific, executable steps.
Execution capability – Accurately complete operations in real-world environments and provide feedback on results.
Only when these three links are connected can a robot transform from a moving model into a working tool.
Musk mentioned that the key advancement of Optimus lies not in its mechanical structure, but in the deep integration with the AI system. In other words, enabling the robot to understand, think clearly, and act correctly is a more important breakthrough than its physical design.
For example, you might say, "Help me organize the warehouse."
→ AI understands tasks, plans routes, and identifies items.
→ Robots perform handling, sorting, and stacking.
→ Feedback results upon completion
Throughout the entire process, humans only need to state their intentions, and the rest is handled by AI and robots.
Optimus's real applications are not in everyday home life, but in the production sector: 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 to robotics, Musk is building a complete AI system that spans cognition and action, from digital to physical.
The ultimate goal of this system is a transformation of civilization.
Section Four | The Ultimate Vision: From a Working Society to an Affluent Civilization
When Grok, voice, and robots are pieced together, it points to more than just technological upgrades; it points to a grander social transformation.
In the latter part of the interview, Musk addressed a question that many people dare not even consider: what will human society be like when AI and robots can perform most tasks?
His answer was: Universal High Income.
This is not a basic income subsidy that barely keeps people fed and clothed, but true abundance. Everyone will have access to any goods and services they desire, and poverty will be completely eradicated.
It sounds like a utopia, but Musk has provided a clear path to its realization:
Step 1: AI + Robots Significantly Reduce Production Costs
When AI handles all digital work and robots take over manual labor, the cost of goods and services will decrease exponentially.
Step Two: Making Work an Option
It's not unemployment, but rather the option not to work. Those who want to work can continue working, and those who don't want to work can still live a decent life.
Step 3: Humanity redefines meaning
When people are no longer anxious about survival, they can spend their time on things they are truly interested in: creating, exploring, learning, and spending time with others.
Musk said that this is a society of "sustainable abundance": without destroying the natural environment, everyone has an abundant life.
But this future has one prerequisite: AI must be safe.
Throughout the interview, the thing he made most clearly was that AI must pursue the truth to the greatest extent possible. AI should not be trained to only say what you want to hear, and excessive political correctness (what Musk calls the "awakening mind virus") should not be programmed into AI.
He gave an example: when some AI is trained to be diverse, it might reach absurd conclusions. The best way to ensure no one is offended would be to exterminate all humanity.
This is not a joke; it's a real risk.
This is why Grok was designed from the outset to seek the ultimate truth: it can be humorous and satirical, but it must be honest in its judgments of facts. In assessing the value of human life, Grok is the only AI that "treats all humans equally."
Musk said that his reason for creating xAI and Grok was not just to participate in the AI race, but to ensure that at least one AI is on the side of humanity.
From this perspective, Grok, voice interaction, and the Optimus robot are not just products, but infrastructure leading to a "sustainable and prosperous" future.
He is building a complete system that enables AI to understand the world, converse with people, and act in reality. The ultimate goal of this system is not to make AI smarter, but to make humanity more free.
This is the future that Musk is betting on.
A civilization where jobs are available, material wealth is abundant, and meaning is self-defined.
Conclusion | This is not a prophecy, but the future that is already happening.
In this three-hour interview, Musk didn't talk about parameters or demonstrate technological roadmaps. He talked about how AI is reshaping the underlying logic of human life.
From Grok to voice, from robots to widespread high incomes, each step is not an isolated product, but rather the infrastructure for a future affluent society.
While others are vying for the AI market, Musk is designing an operating system for a new civilization.
In the coming period, change may not occur in the form of blockbuster products, but rather in the tools around you, the ways you interact, and the way you work.
By then, the question will no longer be how powerful AI is, but whether we are ready for a world with job options and material abundance.
The answer may lie in the next few years.
