In an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, Elon Musk made a surprising prediction about the future of personal technology: the smartphone as we know it is on its way out.
Speaking candidly about where he sees technology heading in the next five to six years, Musk revealed his vision for what will replace the ubiquitous device that has dominated our lives for nearly two decades.
“We’re not going to have a phone in the traditional sense,” Musk explained during the wide-ranging conversation. “What we call a phone will really be an edge node for AI inference, for AI video inference, with some radios to connect.” In Musk’s view, the future device won’t run operating systems or apps as we currently understand them. Instead, it will be a streamlined interface between users and powerful AI systems running on remote servers.
The concept represents a fundamental reimagining of personal computing. Rather than downloading individual applications for different tasks, users would simply interact with AI that can generate any content or functionality on demand. “You’ll get everything through AI,” Musk said. “Whatever you can think of, or really whatever the AI can anticipate you might want, it’ll show you.”
The transformation Musk describes is radical. Rather than downloading individual applications for email, social media, navigation, or entertainment, users would simply interact with AI that generates whatever content or functionality they need in real time.
This shift eliminates the need for traditional app stores, operating systems, and even the concept of software updates as we know them. The device itself would primarily serve as a display and audio interface, with as much AI processing power packed into the hardware as possible to minimize the bandwidth needed between the user’s device and cloud servers.
Musk stated: “There won’t be operating systems or apps in the future. It’ll just be you’ve got a device that is there for the screen and audio and to put as much AI on the device as possible.”
Musk’s timeline for this transformation is surprisingly near. When asked about the timeframe, he estimated “probably five or six years or something like that” before apps become obsolete, comparing them to “Blockbuster video.” The transition won’t happen overnight, but Musk believes the fundamental architecture of how we interact with technology is about to undergo its most significant change since the introduction of the smartphone itself.
The implications extend beyond mere convenience. According to Musk, this technological evolution is essential for addressing larger economic challenges, including America’s debt crisis. He argues that only through AI and robotics can the economy grow at a rate sufficient to prevent national bankruptcy, suggesting that the widespread adoption of AI-powered devices is not just inevitable but necessary for economic survival.
While Musk didn’t explicitly confirm Tesla’s development of such a device during the podcast, his detailed vision and specific technical descriptions suggest this isn’t mere speculation. When asked directly about the “X Phone” rumors that have circulated online, Musk deflected, saying “I have a lot on my plate.” However, the depth of his vision indicates someone who has thought extensively about reimagining personal technology.
Whether Musk’s timeline proves accurate remains to be seen.