'Like growing vegetables' | Elon Musk says AI could make jobs and careers 'optional'

As employers and employees struggle adapt to the pace of change it brings, and jobs appear and disappear with increased frequency, Elon Musk has suggested that artificial intelligence and robotics could reshape society so profoundly that workers may eventually see employment as a choice, rather than a necessity.

Speaking at the US-Saudi Investment Forum, the Tesla chief sketched out long-term outcomes that he believes could arrive within a few decades.

"I don't know what long term is, maybe it's 10, 20 years, or something like that," Musk said. "My prediction is that work will be optional."

"It'll be like playing sports or a video game or something like that. If you want to work in the same way, like you can go to the store and just buy some vegetables, or you could grow vegetables in your backyard. It's much harder to grow vegetables in your backyard, but some people still do it because they like growing vegetables," he said.