In a conversation about the future of Tesla's humanoid robot Optimus, Elon Musk confidently revealed his vision of a world where every home has its own C-3PO. The path to getting there includes video learning, child's play, and the million robots Tesla plans to produce by the end of the decade.
Elon Musk has a gift for turning any discussion of technology into a vision of the future that sounds both brilliant and a little scaryIn a recent interview, he casually explained why a humanoid robot would be Optimus became the greatest product of all time. Although it sounds like futuristic fantasy, Musk's plans are quite concrete – and above all, fast.
Optimus as a global phenomenon?
Musk insists Tesla will be able to produce by 2030 around a million humanoid robots, which is supposed to be the foundation for a transition to “sustainable abundance.” Robots would take over a wide range of physical tasks—from industrial tasks to domestic choreographies like cleaning the kitchen or folding the laundry.
For him, the demand is self-evident:
"The demand will be insatiable. Who wouldn't want their own robot?"
Musk therefore does not see Optimus as a niche product, but rather as a device that will be in every home, perhaps even before electric cars.
Learning from YouTube – no kidding, they're actually planning it
The most ambitious part of his vision is the robot's ability to learns new tasks just by watching videos. Musk claims that the goal is clear: Optimus watches a video, evaluates a sequence of actions, and then executes them. No additional programming, no external instructions. Of course, it also draws on “collective” consciousness and learns from global mistakes and experiences.
"When a robot can watch videos and learn from them like a human, the range of tasks will increase dramatically."
They're not there yet. Optimus is currently being trained using so-called mocap suits, in which a human trainer imitates the robot's movements to teach it the basics of independent operation.
Child in a robot enclosure
Musk's comparison between robot learning and child development is particularly interesting. Optimus is expected to advance in the future using a method called self-play, which means they will literally put him in a room with toys. Just like a child, he will:
– classify shapes,
– played with various objects,
– tested, repeated, failed and found out,
– and learn the correct solutions through a reward system.
The vision is almost poetic: a robot that progresses through the game. Musk explains:
"You put the robot in a room with a classic children's puzzle - square to square, circle to circle. And until it succeeds, it repeats."
He believes that some improvements in AI and computing power are still needed, but he sees no reason why they cannot be achieved.
Conclusion:
Musk's predictions always oscillate somewhere between a striking vision and a technological provocation. But when he talks about humanoid robots, he sounds surprisingly confident. By 2030, Optimus could become our everyday companion - an assistant, a nanny, a co-worker or a stylish gentleman robot who conquers even more with YouTube videos. the last skillwhich you are not.
If Optimus really becomes the next global technological phenomenon, the future will certainly be more robotic than we imagine today. And it may well be that your first digital collaborator will have better motor skills than you when trying to assemble Ikea shelving unit.
