In a podcast conversation with Indian entrepreneur Nikhil Kamath, Elon Musk shared his candid views on the future of higher education in an era dominated by artificial intelligence and robotics. While speaking on the podcast, Musk painted a picture of a world where traditional career paths and educational credentials may become obsolete within the next two decades.
When asked directly whether young people should still pursue college education, Musk offered a nuanced response. “I think if you want to go to college for social reasons, I think which is a reason to go, to be around people your own age in a learning environment. Will these skills be necessary in the future? Probably not because we’re going to be in a postwork society,” he explained. “But I think if something’s of interest, it’s fine to go and study that. To study the sciences are the arts and sciences.”
Musk elaborated on his prediction that working itself will become optional within a relatively short timeframe. “My prediction is in the future working will be optional… I think it’ll actually be that people don’t have to work at all in the future. And it may not be that far in the future. Maybe only I don’t know 10, I say less than 20 years. My prediction is less than 20 years, working will be optional. Working at all will be optional, like a hobby pretty much.”
Regarding the value of broad education, Musk maintained that students who do choose college should maximize the experience. “I actually think it’s good to take a wide range of courses at college if you’re going to go to college. I don’t think you don’t have to go to college, but I think if you do, you should try to learn as much as possible across a wide range of subjects.”
Perhaps most revealing was Musk’s conversation with his own children about their future prospects. While referring to his older sons, he said: “When I’ve talked to my older sons, I said like you know you guys, they’re pretty steeped in technology, and they agree that AI will probably make their skills unnecessary in the future, but they still want to go to college.”
Musk emphasized that his predictions stem from observation rather than advocacy. These are just what I think will happen based on what I see as opposed to I think these are fundamentally good things, and I’m trying to make them happen. It’s like I think this would happen with or without me, whether I like it or not.”
His perspective suggests that while college may retain value as a social experience and for personal enrichment, its traditional role as a pathway to necessary career skills is rapidly diminishing in relevance as humanity approaches what he calls “the singularity” of artificial intelligence advancement.
