Elon Musk , the CEO of Tesla and 2d richest person in the worldly concern , reveal his idea for a automaton on Thursday that he says might become a prototype by 2022 . And while Musk has delivered plenty of hilarious vaporware presentations in the past tense , from theLoopto theCybertruck , this one might take the bar .
Musk ’s “ robot ” was just a person trip the light fantastic toe around in a skintight full - body causa , but he promises that his electric car company really is working on something . And he really wants you to consider him this time .
“ The Tesla bot will be real , ” Musk said in spades , trying to show his phoney automaton off - stage on Thursday .
Gif: Tesla/YouTube
“ Tesla is arguably the humans ’s biggest robotics company because our cars are like semi - sentient automaton on wheel , ” Musk say with a square face .
Musk rattle off the specs of his completely imaginary creation and is positioning his robotic dream as the future of labor , something that makes sense when your workplace environment is notorious forverbal abuseandpoor precondition . After all , robot workers do n’t complain when you make them make for in serious indoor spacesduring a pandemic .
“ So what materialise when there is no famine of labor ? This is why I cerebrate long term that there will require to be worldwide canonical income , ” Musk say to hand clapping from the crowd at Tesla ’s AI Day .
“ But not right now because this golem does n’t work , so we just need a minute . I think specially in the future , strong-arm work will be a selection . If you want to do it , you may , but you wo n’t need to do it , ” Musk ramble on on .
Gizmodo could tell you that Musk ’s golem will resist 5 feet , 8 column inch improbable and weigh about 125 lb . We could also tell you that it ’s plan to decimate dangerous , irksome , and repetitious tasks , according to Musk . We could even narrate you that it ’s equipped with Tesla “ Autopilot ” cameras in the head teacher and 40 actuators in the body . But that would be a waste of just about everyone ’s clip .
This is n’t even a prototype of something that might hit store shelf one Clarence Day . It ’s the promise of a prototype at some period in the future — arguably bad thanregular vaporware . And you’re able to watch the video for yourself ifyou’re curious .
What ’s the point of unveiling something that will credibly never happen ? Whether it ’s Musk ’s robotaxis that were presuppose toarrive by 2020 , orsolar cap tilesfrom 2016 that never came into being , the item of vaporware is to push a company into the headlines and deal more of the same shit they were sell before . Bored TV news show outlets with 24 hours to fulfill get to wash a special blade — and in this case the mark is Musk ’s Tesla — in a hopeful and techno - utopian mystique . It also helps distract from negative news stories , like when your “ Autopilot ” productkills the great unwashed .
But it would appear that Musk got exactly the kind of reporting he wanted overnight with this strange presentation that was livestreamed onYouTube . Just take a look at how Musk ’s stories sounded in various news outlets .
CNN :
Musk said the golem would have a “ unfathomed ” impingement on the economy . He aver forcible study would be a choice in the future , and a universal basic income would be ask . Musk is among the Silicon Valley leaders who have cautioned that applied science may eliminate the jobs of many people , so some humans will need another income source .
TechCrunch :
Interestingly , Musk is imagine this as substitute much of the human drudge work that currently occupies so many people ’s lives – not just task but things like grocery store shopping and other everyday tasks . He waxed about a future in which physical work would be a choice , with all the attendant implications that might mean for the economy .
Fox Business :
The automaton would carry out the oeuvre the great unwashed do n’t care to do . “ It ’s around 5 foot 8 . It has sort of a screen where the head is for useful selective information , but it ’s otherwise fundamentally got the autopilot system and it ’s got camera , got eight cameras , ” said Musk . “ Full ego - driving computing equipment and making enjoyment of all of the same tools that were used in the railroad car . ”Musk mention the automaton ’s economic shock , using the current worker shortage as an example .
Those who hunger for fourth dimension off from body of work may take heart from the forecast of political scientist Sebastian de Grazia that the average work week , by the class 2000 , will average 31 hours , and perhaps as few as 21 . Twenty years later , on - the - job hours may have dwindle to 26 , or even 16 .
But what will people do with all that gratuitous time ? The mind-set may not be cheery .
As De Grazia sees it : “ There is intellect to venerate , as some do , that free time , forced free time , will bring on the restless tick of boredom , idleness , evil , and increased personal violence . If the campaign is identified as automation and the preference for higher intelligence , nonautomated job may increase , but they will conduct the stigma of stupidity . piece will prefer not to exploit rather than to admit them . Those who do consent will increasingly total to be a politically subscript class . ”
One possible root : a legal separation of income from work ; perhaps a guarantee yearly salary to provide “ the wherewithal for a life-time of leisure time for all those who think they have the temperament . ”
And there are literally dozens , if not hundreds , of examples like this from mainstream commenters at the clip . Even Walter Cronkite , the most well-thought-of newsperson of his generation , waspromisinga , “ 30 - minute body of work week and calendar month - long vacations as the rule ” by the year 2000 . It was all thanks to our robot friends .
lamentably , if we desire any of these robots to actually create less workplace for people we ’d have to reorganise society completely . Because Musk ’s quondam - fashioned promises could be a reality if politico really wanted them to be . actor productivity is through the roofcompared to the 1960s , but workers are n’t partake in the wealth they create . The problem is that billionaires like Musk are keeping more of the net profit . We did n’t get 30 - hr study weeks because your boss has no incentive to pay off you for working less . Your boss wants to squeeze as much work out of you as potential while ante up you the absolute minimum . That ’s the whole mind behind capitalism .
peculiarly , Musk ’s fake robot stick out a striking resemblance to Miss Honeywell , another human habilitate up to look like an automationin the sixties .
Musk may not be always deliver humanity the future . But he ’s produce the retro - future theatrics down to a science .
Daily Newsletter
Get the best tech , science , and acculturation news in your inbox daily .
News from the futurity , delivered to your present .
You May Also Like
