Musk Predicts Hundreds of Millions of Humanoid Robots Worldwide Within Five Years

Humanoid robots are moving beyond factory automation toward becoming a general-purpose workforce, potentially reshaping manufacturing, logistics and services. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has long invested in the Optimus robot and believes combining artificial intelligence with physical machines will sharply boost productivity. The market is therefore closely watching its mass-production timeline and potential economic impact.

At a recent Forbes event, Musk predicted that the number of humanoid robots worldwide would reach at least 100 million within five years and could rise to 1 billion. He also said digital intelligence would surpass the combined intelligence of all humanity. Musk said technological advances could double the size of the economy, although society may endure a painful transition lasting 3–7 years.