Elon Musk, one of the richest men in the world and CEO of Tesla, announced at the Artificial Intelligence Day in California that his company is working on a Tesla Robot, a machine designed to do hard and repetitive work. which people are reluctant to take on today.
The company’s website describes the new robot, which its developers call “Optimus”, as “a general-purpose bipedal humanoid robot capable of performing dangerous, repetitive and tedious operations.” Musk added that a prototype robot that is 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 125 feet, which will have a monitor screen as a face, will be unveiled “sometime next year.” Optimus will be able to travel at a speed of 5 miles per hour, transport 45 pounds of cargo and lift up to 150 pounds.
Bottom of Form. Musk acknowledged that this robot can take away jobs from people for which they are paid today, and therefore he supported the idea of ”universal basic income.” “In fact, in the future, physical work will become not a necessity, but a choice,” Musk explained. “This is why I believe there will be a need for a universal basic income in the long run.”
Discussions on this topic are gaining momentum. And some major cities have already started to implement pilot basic income programs for certain groups of the population. California recently launched the nation’s most ambitious basic income program, targeting pregnant women and those who are old-age children in orphanages.
Congress approved the payment of three incentive checks to Americans during the coronavirus pandemic, and some Democratic congressmen want to continue such payments after the pandemic ends. 21 Democratic senators have sent a letter to President Biden urging him to include funding for such payments in a congressionally-approved infrastructure rehabilitation plan for the country.
Newspaper headline:
The era of robots is coming
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